I'm the Enemy
by True Neutral
Summary: Sarah Lyons/Lone Wanderer romance type fic exploring their relationship during and after the events of the main quest line, Broken Steel, and Point Lookout. The Enclave makes a last, great attempt to take control of the Capital Wasteland. War. War Never changes. Chapter 13: Lone.
1. To Point Lookout and Back

Set in the Fallout universe, but mostly in Fallout 3.

TO POINT LOOKOUT AND BACK

CHAPTER 1

Sarah rushed from the Den as fast as her legs could carry her. Run now, breathe later, her mind was whispering as her limbs complained. Could it really be true?

Indeed as she neared the infirmary, a swarm of people just as curious, but not quite as absolutely concerned, gathered to block the doorway. She suddenly regretted neglecting to put on her power armor. Without it, she felt naked and terribly venerable. Luckily, she always had her rank.

"Out of my way, maggots!" Sarah shouted over the nonsensical chatter that filled the hallway, pushing her way through the masses as best as she could.

New recruits are stupid, alright. But no one is dumb enough to not comply with something that Sarah Lyons, daughter of Elder Owyn Lyons himself, has to say that sounds anything remotely like an order. And so, the human sea parted to admit Sarah through.

Paladin Cross was the solitary soldier left guarding the door. "Hurry, Sarah. And only Sarah! You all stay back!" Cross pulled her roughly through the doorway by the collar and slammed the heavy, rusted iron door closed behind them. Inside, another mob of people surrounded a single hospital bed that was pushed into the far corner of the room. On the bed, the maimed, unconscious lone wanderer lie.

"Dante?" she asked aloud, mostly to herself, if only as a way to convince herself that she was, in fact, awake. Dante looked nothing like he did when he had first left for Point Lookout, Maryland. The clean-cut, well-fed, yet trim and strong vigilante she knew now sported a shaggy beard, seemed substantially thinner, and looked as fragile as the blackened, withered branches of any unfortunate tree one could find in the Capital Wasteland. What was most unsettling to her was his newest addition to his already vast collection of scars; a fresh incision sat high upon his forehead, as harshly stitched up as it was carved into him.

"Help me get him out of this," ordered Scribe Rothchild to anyone who was listening. Still covered by siege tank-strength plating from the neck down, the true extent of his injuries was unknown. Sarah obliged. "Hold him steady. We have to cut into the side," grunted Rothchild. "The release mechanism is broken. Get the med-bot over here."

Paladin Cross addressed the idle robot in the corner. "Protocol 133-72. Cut through the lock on the left side, and _only_ the lock." Getting an unconscious person out of a semi-destroyed suit of power armor is no easy feat, indeed.

"Sir! Yes, sir!" replied the eager Mr. Gutsy.

"Goddamn robot," Cross muttered under her breath and folded her arms against her chest in annoyance.

"Initiating bonesaw sequence 133-72. Danger in immediate area. Please stand at least the minimum safety clearance of twenty feet from point of impact. Thank you and have a nice day," announced Mr. Gutsy. With the exceptions of Rothchild and Sarah, everyone in the room moved to the back wall. Sarah pressed Dante's shoulder down and held his limp, left arm out of harm's way while Rothchild held his respective leg still. The saw whined as it started and roared as it reached its highest speed. Sarah turned away to protect her eyes as the blade made contact with the metal and sent sparks flying every which way.

"We're through," declared Rothchild. Then he turned toward the robot still hovering at the edge of the bed. "Stand down, soldier. He's not bleeding. Good work."

The Mr. Gutsy retracted all its various appendages. "Dismissed!" it barked and flew back over to its usual corner of the room.

Rothchild pulled away the torso covering as tenderly as he could. He and Sarah continued to separate sections of Dante's power armor from his lifeless body. They were successful at removing all but one part. His right metal boot was dented in at a strange angle and refused to budge, holding Dante's leg captive in its sickening grip. The way it was bent, there was no doubt that Dante's tibia was fractured at the very least. Using the handle of a surgical tool to pry the boot open, they were finally able to slide Dante free. As expected, the front of his lower leg was smashed in.

Scribe Rothchild set to work on constructing a splint for the damaged limb while Sarah cut away Dante's undershirt to bring into view a deep purple bruise stretched across a large part of his stomach and ribcage. "Someone get some ice," Sarah said to no one in particular, then averted her attention back to Dante's face. Pushing strands of his dark brown hair back from his brow, she observed the scar that was still damp with his own blood, diluted by irradiated water. She shook her head in disgust. "How could this have happened to you?" she whispered.

"Sarah, I think you should come with me. We're questioning someone in the other room who might be able to shed some light on what happened to Dante," said a voice from the doorway. Sarah hesitated.

"Go, I'll take care of him," Rothchild assured her. She nodded, and headed toward the door, stealing one last look as she pulled it shut behind her.

She arrived with the interrogation already in progress. She quietly entered the room and took her place behind her father, making sure to cross her arms in a sign of aggression that only added to the suspect's terror.

"So your name is Nadine, is it?" questioned Elder Lyons. "Can you please explain to me why you brought a very strong ally of the Brotherhood's back to us in such horrible condition? Choose your words carefully. And if you were involved in his injury somehow… Well, you'd better hope that's not the case."

The red headed young woman began, "Please, I only wanted to help him. The locals from Point Lookout, it was all them! They drugged Dante and cut out a bit of his brain. They're cultists, and stupid ones at that. You see, they all cut out part of their brain for their crazy beliefs. Some of them can't keep the drool from dripping out of their mouths," Nadine paused.

"Go on," prompted Elder Lyons and rested his chin on the palm of his hand.

"They tricked Dante into drugging himself," Nadine continued, "They cut him open. Needless to say, he was pissed when he came to. In the end, he ended up killing their 'god' if you will. No matter how good of a fighter Dante is, he had a few things working against him back in Maryland. Even though most of the cultists are little more than walking vegetables, there are a shitload of them, they're violent, and they know the lay of the land. I saw a mob of them attacking Dante. They managed to drug him again, and then beat him with clubs like cave men. I managed to scare them away with a few pulse grenades. I knew Dante needed good- no, great medical attention. The first aid kit on the boat just wasn't going to do the trick. The only place I could think of that wouldn't shoot us on site was here." Nadine was trembling now, causing the chain of the handcuffs she was bound in to clink together. Looking frantically from father to daughter, it was clear she had nothing else to say in her own defense.

Sarah let her arms fall slack at her sides. "She's telling the truth, Dad."

He sighed. "I know." He pulled a key out of his pocket and removed the handcuffs from Nadine's wrists. "You are free to go."

Without saying another word, Sarah left her father in silent contemplation. But instead of heading back to the infirmary to Dante's side, she rounded the corner and continued to Elder Lyons' private residence. He had always told her she was free to use his computer, where she could sit in alone in silence instead of one of the Citadel's busy technology labs. She couldn't stand to go back to the infirmary, no matter how much she wanted to. She was so close to tears the first time but she had to hide her emotions for the sake of her reputation. And so, Sarah let herself in and sat down before the computer.


	2. Confessions

CONFESSIONS

CHAPTER 2

_Sarah Lyons' Journal_

_Entry_#_624_

_December 18th, 2277_

_I feel now is an appropriate time to revive my journal. I don't know why I ever stopped writing. I suspect my added responsibility of commanding the Lyons' Pride had something to do with it. Or maybe the majority of the blame lies with the guilt of abandoning the Brotherhood of Steel's mission in place of another, no matter how noble or just. It turned some of my greatest friends into Outcasts. But I can't disagree with my own father over such matters. Anyway, it's been years since I've written anything meaningful on here. I hope I still remember how to spell._

_About four months ago, I met a scrawny Vault-dweller in the heat of battle in the ruins of D.C. He emerged from a metro tunnel just as the Pride engaged with a troop of super mutants, at just the right time to be clipped in the back by one of the brutes' submachine guns. His pathetic leather armor was torn to shreds across the back, but amazingly kept him from being torn apart, himself. What unfortunate timing he had. Or perhaps it was merely fate. The Pride did most of the fighting in the skirmish while he hid in the ditch below. He was armed with two 10mm pistols, a Chinese assault rifle and 4 frag grenades. When I patched his wounds up later, I remember thinking to myself that that kid didn't stand a chance out there. I gave him four days to live, five at most. At the time, I thought there was no chance of an inexperienced, skinny white boy with a mohawk surviving in the Wastes. (What is that saying? Appearances can be deceiving?) That was when he told me his name was Dante, a name I've never heard before, and I told him mine. I knew then he was new to the area when he didn't seem impressed by my surname. Later, when we were ambushed by a super mutant behemoth, he held his own, even with the limited resources available to him. He earned my respect pretty damn quick._

_From then on, we became friends of sorts. We ended up talking a lot during our down time at the Citadel. I learned he was seven years my junior, physically. But when it came to wisdom, he was more on a level like my father. He told me how he was raised by only his father, James, in Vault 101 and explained in detail the inner workings of his childhood home, including how corrupt their structure of government really was. Vault 101's brainwashing motto "We live in the Vault and we die in the Vault" was a simple fact to Dante, as true as 2+2=4. At least, until his father left the Vault in search of completing his long-abandoned 'Project Purity' located in the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, as we later found out. Dante ran for his life from the Vault Overseer's lackeys. And the only way to go was up._

_I remember when James died, Dante cried for hours on end. One day, I accidently came upon him alone in a storage closet of the Citadel, sitting alone in the dark, bawling, but he wasn't embarrassed. But that wasn't what my attention was drawn to first. I was more concerned with how weak he looked without his armor, helmet, and stockpile of weapons. In a word, he looked 'normal', whatever meaning that word has these days. He looked straight up at me, keeping eye contact without hesitating. I blurted out that I was sorry and I moved to leave, but he stopped me. "No, stay," he said, "I'm sick of being left alone in the dark." So, I sat next to him, eyes fixed on the wall in front of us. It was a safe bet that he had been drinking, as there was a half-finished whiskey bottle clenched in his fist. He offered it to me. I shook my head, yet he held it still out. "Tomorrow we attack the Enclave at the Jefferson Memorial for possession of the purifier; the product of years of my parents' and others' hard work," he began, "And let's face it: they have better weapons and defenses than us. Christ, they have fucking air support. What do we have? A giant robot that thinks it's battling Chinese communists in Alaska 200 years ago. Now, tell me you still want to spend tonight sober." Damn, he was right. "What the hell?" I snatched the bottle and tipped it back to my lips. We didn't talk much that night. We just sat in silence in the near-dark, passing the liquor between ourselves, anticipating what morning held for us._

_Two months ago, Dante became the savior of the Capital Wasteland. We had fought our way back to the Jefferson Memorial Rotunda, exterminating the Enclave faithful like vermin in our path. But there was little to celebrate when we learned that the purifier had to be activated immediately and the person who volunteered wasn't going to come back. A silence passed over us then and our eyes dropped to the ground. I was preparing myself to speak when the silence was disturbed by Dante stating "I'll do it," in a low voice. He looked back up at me with his chocolate brown eyes, sober and dry, "I'll activate the purifier." The next thing I remember was us kissing, my arm slung around his neck and the palm of his hand cradling my cheek. Seconds after he turned on the power, he collapsed, followed closely by my own loss of consciousness. After that, I was out for just over two weeks. Dante had survived the radiation spike too. He woke up before I did and not too long after, he threw himself back into the heat of battle. (Sadistic bastard.)_

_Dante was willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, just like James. Fresh drinking water for all; it's a concept so simple, yet so absolutely vital. I've never known anyone so selfless, even when he had every right to act only on his own behalf. No one would have thought any less of him if he had. He grew up with no mother, was expelled from his only concept of home, the Vault, by his own best friend, lost his last living parent, and suffered through countless other personal tragedies. But he never complained about how life wasn't fair, at least not out loud. No matter how bad it got, the idea of giving up never crossed his mind. It's amazing to me. But that doesn't mean he's superhuman._

_Right now, Dante's lying unconscious and unresponsive in the infirmary down the hallway. I've never seen him so physically injured: his cracked skull and crippled leg are incredibly still attached to his battered body. He used to seem invincible._

_* Logged out_

Sarah finished and pushed the keyboard away from the edge of the desk. Rubbing the blurriness away from her weary eyes, she sighed and stretched her tired muscles. She moved to the bedroom and climbed into the bed, curling the covers around her, pretending that she was really wrapped in Dante's warm embrace. An hour of rest, that's all she needed, but sleep wouldn't come easily that night; there were just too many thoughts running through her head.

She swung herself out of bed, and carefully remade it for her father. No need for him to know she was ever there. She had just replaced the pillow when the door to the bedroom creaked open and Elder Lyons poked his head in.

"Hm. Can't sleep, honey?" he asked.

"I was just leaving to go back to the Den," she remarked and headed out.

He nodded as Sarah walked past him.

"Sarah," she turned around to face him as he spoke, "It's okay. Go keep watch over Dante. I know how much he means to you." Lyons slipped into his bedchamber before Sarah could say or ask anything.

Her jaw dropped. Did he know? How? It wasn't exactly something she liked to openly talk about.

A solitary guard with her plasma rifle at the ready was stationed outside of the infirmary, but she didn't say or do anything to stop her superior as Sarah heaved the door open and walked inside. Sometimes, it was good to be her. Pulling a chair up next to the bed Dante was laying on, Sarah saw they had pulled several covers on top of him, up to the neck, shielding his wounds from her eyes. There was now a crude gauze bandage wrapped around his temple, hiding the terrible scar underneath it. Both his beard and head were shaved clean. It made him look so foreign to her. Was it really him? She still couldn't believe it.

Sarah stayed with him the whole night, thinking to herself, as heart rate monitor behind her beeped in a steady rhythm.


	3. The Morning After

For those of you who haven't seen my other story listed on the new updates (because of the M rating), I have written another story involving Dante, Sarah and a 200 year old bed entitled "Stolen Moments", accessible from my profile page.

Please read and review.

* * *

THE MORNING AFTER

CHAPTER 3

"Sarah? Sarah, wake up," someone was nudging her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open to find Paladin Cross standing in front of her, "You should get up. They need to hook Dante up to more vital sign machines and oxygen."

"Alright," Sarah yawned and stretched. She was surprised to find that there was now an old, patched up blanket stretched over her arms, down to her knees. _Dad_, she thought and shook her head. He was always so concerned. For some reason Elder Lyons had all the confidence in the world that his only child could take out a squad of super mutants with one arm tied behind her back, but God forbid she catch a cold. Sarah stood and folded the blanket in her arms. "He's still out, then?"

Paladin Cross nodded. "He's on quite a cocktail of drugs, so if he did wake up, he'd be really out of it."

"I see," said Sarah and turned to face the series of old monitors already displaying information about Dante's current state of health.

Body temperature: 96.4 degrees F

Heart rate: 57 bpm

Blood Pressure: 100/70

Status: Stable

"At least his blood pressure is up," Sarah commented and felt a chill of relief shoot down her spine when she said it aloud. Noting Dante's temperature was a little low, she tucked the blanket around his legs and feet, careful not to touch his broken leg too much. When she was done, Sarah just stood, looking over him. He looked just like he did when he was asleep. Sarah used to love to watch him sleep next to her. It was so strange to see such a powerful being at rest, like a lion napping in the shade. You would expect him to be out killing. Man, it was weird to see Dante without his Chinese assault rifle next to the bed within his reach, just in case. He loved that old thing.

Dante was getting better, not much better, but at least now she could push the fear out of her mind that he was going to drop dead at any second.

"Ahem," Rothchild stood behind her, surgical tubing in hand, waiting for Sarah to get out of his way. Sarah moved toward the door when she realized what Rothchild was waiting for. He caught Sarah's eye. He knew about her and Dante; the look on Rothchild's face said it all. Sarah swallowed hard, but his expression was one of compassion and sympathy, not one of disapproval. After all, what woman wouldn't pick the savior of the wasteland as her mate? She could trust Rothchild enough to not tell her father, and Sarah suspected the latter party already knew. That or he thought that they were merely good friends and she was worried about his health. Whichever. It's not that Elder Lyons would be angry with her; she was, after all, thirty years old and perfectly capable of managing her own life. Sarah only feared that he would be unhappy with Dante, for if any other man in the Brotherhood of Steel even thought about starting a relationship with Sarah, he would have asked permission first. But Dante was never one for following the norm or even the rules, at times.

Sarah continued down the hall, heading for the courtyard doors. The Citadel's indoor heating made it muggy and humid underground. She just needed some cool, fresh air. It was advised that members of the Brotherhood should spend most of their time inside during the winter because being in the frozen droplets of irradiated water was like taking a bath in the stuff if you were out too long. Not many missions were undertaken in the cold season, for fear of becoming trapped in the ruins outside and simultaneously being exposed to freezing temperatures and radiation for extended periods of time. However, some days you could see an animated group of Brothers heading out to the open courtyard at the heart of the Citadel, dressed in pre-war sweaters with baseball gloves and Rad-X in hand, trying their best to combat winter boredom. Fortunately, winter lasted a brief four months and only came every couple of years in the Captial Wasteland. Nuclear dust had forever changed the weather patterns on the east coast; no longer were they dictated by the Earth's rotation around the Sun, but by the amount of fallout accumulation in the atmoshpere.

She pulled a jacket from the locker next to the courtyard entrance's double doors and put it on. When Sarah emerged from the Citadel's tunnels, there was no one else to be seen outside. It was lightly snowing, and the mild wind blew pieces of her hair into her eyes. Sarah produced a single cigarette from a pack hidden inside the interior jacket pocket. She patted the rest of the jacket and found a book of matches in another. Smiling, she lit up and let the nicotine clam her nerves. This was her preferred way of relaxing, whereas Dante was much more likely to get drunk - not that she didn't enjoy a cold beer every now and then. Leaning against the arch of the doorway, she surveyed the abandoned yard. A white sheet of frozen, irradiated water covered the walkways and toxic ice clung to the walls. The super mutant ranged dummies were topped with a comically large amount of snow, like whipped cream on sundaes. Sarah never actually saw a real sundae, just on old posters in corner shops and such scattered throughout the ruins. She wondered why on Earth people found them so appealing. The sky was a shade of dull grey, shielding the wasteland from the harsh rays of the sun.

Sarah dropped the finished cigarette and stomped it into the snow with the toe of her boot. She had the urge to write again.

_Sarah Lyons' Journal_

_Entry_#_625_

_December 19th, 2277_

_This will be one of my shorter entries. I'm pressed for ideas as well as time._

_After the purifier incident, Dante was the first of the pair of us to awake. And not too long after, he volunteered to help the Brotherhood of Steel deal a killing blow to our already hurting enemy, the Enclave. We tried to hide the awkwardness when others were around, like when he completed his mission in the Enclave base and the Lyons Pride airlifted him to safety. I was on board and in charge. I issued orders and praises to him as if nothing had happened between us in the Jefferson Memorial that fateful day. He responded accordingly. Things soon became tense during our free time at the Citadel, when fighting wasn't involved. We started avoiding each other in the hallways. We were embarrassed, afraid and (I'll admit) terribly lonely. Our shyness lasted for days._

_He once burst into the cafeteria adjacent to the laboratory, his stomach growling loud enough for me to hear in my isolated corner of the room. It was late. I had been working through the night training recruits to handle the plasma rifles, pistols, mines and grenades we had looted from the Enclave's buildings and soldiers. They were tricky little things. Dante had been working for hours on end, trying to help Rothchild repair Liberty Prime using old sensor modules and cameras that he spent days scavenging for in the wasteland for this exact purpose. His clothes were covered in plenty of motor oil and grease to prove it. He had his back to me as he inspected what little food was stored on the shelves, oblivious to my presence. He eventually decided on Sugar Bombs and grabbed a bowl and spoon from the lower shelf as well as a bottle of Aqua Pura from the nearby refrigerator. He turned around and his eyes fell on me. Awkward silence filled the room._

_"They're easier to eat with water," Dante broke the silence and gestured with the box and bottle in his hands, "'Cause they're kind of... you know, stale."_

_I got up and moved to leave without saying anything back. He sighed and turned away, putting his late night dinner down on a table and sitting down in the booth, no longer looking at me. He seemed angry at himself for even attempting to communicate with me, rubbing his temple in frustration._

_When I reached the open doorway, I paused. I closed my eyes, tried to control my breathing and muster my courage to speak to him. I slammed the door closed (a little louder than I would have liked to). When I turned around to face Dante, I swear to God he thought I was going to murder him and not leave a trace. His eyes went wide and his body tensed as if I was about to attack at any second, mouth hanging agape with half-chewed and damp pieces of cereal._

_"Dante," I addressed him in a tone that I hoped would reassure them that I wasn't going to snap his neck._

_He relaxed a bit, confident that I would rather talk to him than fight, but still taken aback that I was willing to do the former after all. He swallowed his food. "Yeah?"_

_"What happened back at the purifier-" I paused. Just get to the point, I told myself. "Did you only kiss me because you thought you were going to die? No strings attached macho bullshit?"_

_He looked at the ground and muttered something I couldn't hear._

_"What?" I asked._

_"Yes, I did," he still didn't look me in the eye._

_"I see," I turned around to leave again._

_Dante darted from his spot at the booth, "Wait!" he cried and I felt his hand on my shoulder, holding me put. I could break every bone in his hand in a second, but I held back. I faced him. "I didn't think I would be lucky enough to have more time with you. Sarah, I was supposed to die- but I got a second chance. and you've just been avoiding me lately... Why?"_

_"I wasn't sure what was going through your mind when it happened," I began, "I'm not very used to this sort of thing, Dante, I have a reputation to uphold. Do you realize what I would have done to you if any of my men had seen us? Do you know how hard it was to gain the respect of some of those bastards? I would have gutted you and left you for the super mutants to clean up. I-"_

_Dante rolled his eyes. "Sarah," he interrupted my rant, holding both my shoulders now and forcing me to look at him, "I kissed you because I wanted to for a long time. You don't know how much I wanted to start something with you in the months we spent together, before the purifier. I just never had the balls. When I said I would enter the code, I figured it was my last chance to show you how I felt. What did I have to lose besides the opportunity?" He let go of me. "I guess it doesn't matter now. I made a mistake and I'm sorry." Dante sat back down at his table, back hunched, playing with the hardened sugar lumps in the bowl._

_I sighed. "I'm not angry with you. I was just scared... You understand, right?"_

_Dante nodded. "Yeah, I get it," he replied. "Being a leader is no walk in the park." Still absently stirring his cereal, he continued, "You know, the first thing I asked Elder Lyons when I came to after being in that coma was if you were okay."_

_I sat across from him. He continued to play with his food, not looking at me. I choked up and reached across the table for his hand. Our eyes met. I was the first to lean over the table toward him, letting him know it was okay, that I wanted to. We kissed for just a few seconds before there was movement at the door, and we backed off, pretending to continue a fake conversation when Rothchild entered the cafeteria and grabbed a can of Cram._

_He nodded to us both and addressed Dante: "Hurry up, boy! I think we've made a break through with Prime out there." He twisted the tab off the can. "And we're going to need this. I'll show you once you're done eating." Rothchild exited._

_Dante finished the last pieces of cereal in the bowl. "I'd better go." We stood and embraced each other, then he departed for the lab without saying another word. I looked down at some new black stain on my sleeve. There were spots all over my shirt. Oil. I laughed to myself and headed to the Den to sleep._

_*Logged out_

Sarah's stomach growled. She smirked and said to herself, "Sugar Bombs it is."


	4. Decisions

DECISIONS

CHAPTER 4

Sarah was hunched over the uncomfortable metal chair, her head supported by her hand. It had been nearly a week since Dante was returned to the Citadel, unconscious. Every so often Sarah looked up at his face as if her constant watch would somehow usher his mind back to reality. He was still in a coma, and there was no way of telling when he'd wake up or even if he would wake up this time. Sarah tried to remain hopeful. After all she and Dante had already survived something much worse than his wounds. Her father had been strong during that two week time, even when he didn't know whether or not either one of them were going to be okay. Now it was her turn. But that was easier said than done.

_Sarah Lyons' Journal_

_Entry_#_633_

_December 23rd, 2277_

_Dante had gone to investigate a boat that was reported to have newly been docked on the Potomac River, south of the Citadel. A frantic mother named Catherine met him there, telling him her young child had ran off to Maryland's swamps in search of adventure and begged him for his assistance. Could Dante's big heart have let him turn her down her pleas for help? (Catherine was his mother's name too... it's almost as if it were fate.)_

_I remember when Dante and I first discussed him leaving. He wanted so badly to find Catherine's daughter and bring her back to the Capital Wasteland, safe and sound. We were laying in his bed in his private room in the Citadel, just relaxing and enjoying each other's presence. No one bothered him much after his success at the Enclave base; it was the only place we could be alone together, in secret. I was half asleep laying on my side, with my back to him and my head resting on one of his arms, his other was around my waist. The contact was comforting and reminded us that the other was, indeed, still alive. He was tracing the lines on the palm of my hand, a nervous action that I paid no attention to. Dante sighed and pulled me closer, snuggling his face against the small of my neck. I could feel his warm breath - he was breathing rather fast._

_"What, Dante?" I asked quietly without moving or even opening my eyes._

_"What? Nothing. Why?" he whispered, "Go to sleep, you must be exhausted. You've been on active duty for the last three days."_

_"Your heart is beating a mile a minute. Either you have something on your mind or you're high on psycho," I remarked, matter-of-factly, "and it better not be the drug option."_

_He scoffed. "Well, I've been debating with myself about going to Maryland to find that kid."_

_I looked at him over my shoulder, eyebrows raised. "Really?"_

_"But I don't know how long it would take me to find her, let alone how long it would take to even get back here. That old ferry doesn't seem too reliable. I might end up walking all the way back." Dante admitted. "I just don't know. How long would I have to be away from you?"_

_"You know, I know you too well," I flipped over to face him and continued, "You couldn't live with yourself if you ignored an innocent in trouble if it was within your power to help. You're like my dad."_

_"What do you mean?" He chuckled at the statement, obviously confused why I would ever equate him with my father._

_"That's why he changed the Brotherhood's mission here," I told him, "We were only supposed to gather technology from all over the east coast and bring it back to California. Now, we're stationed here in the former Pentagon to protect the local humans from the local super mutants - because he thought it was the right thing to do."_

_"Yeah, I've heard this story. I can't even think about what the Capital Wasteland would be like without the Brotherhood."_

_"Unimaginable. The birthplace of the American Civil War 2.0, humans against super mutants. And instead of the North fighting the South, it would be the West versus the East." I hugged him to me. "I wouldn't have been here... and you'd probably be dead."_

_Dante gently pushed me away to look into my eyes. "Sarah. I'm fine. I'm right here."_

_"Me too, against the odds." We joined hands and kissed. "Just know I'm not entirely happy or even content that you're going, but I do understand. We have to do what we think is right."_

_"I haven't made my decision yet," he protested, rubbing my shoulder as if to assure me he hadn't already made up his mind._

_"Yes you have," I corrected him. "Now shh. I'm freaking tired."_

_Dante smirked and kissed my forehead, pressing his body against my own. He held me as I slept, keeping me warm in the cool, tiny underground room._

_Hours later, we awoke to loud knocking and threw ourselves out of his bed, me trying to run soundlessly and Dante stomping to the source of the noise. I hid behind the door as Dante swung it open. "Hello, Dante. I'm looking for Sarah. Have you seen her lately?" I recognized my father's voice coming from the other side of the wooden frame. Shit._

_"No sir. I've been asleep for the past few hours," Dante answered him, convincingly enough, adding a yawn - real or fake - for good measure. "All I could do for you is suggest looking around outside in the courtyard or outside the gate. I heard her saying that she was thinking about going mirelurk hunting soon, since there hasn't been any fresh meat in stock for a while now," he added._

_"Alright. Well, thank you for your insight. And if you see Sarah, tell her I'm looking for her, please," My father sighed._

_"Yes sir," Dante nodded and closed the door. He signaled me to keep quiet and checked that my dad vacated the hallway before turning back to me. "We're safe." He came closer, held me by the waist and leaned in._

_"You're way too good at lying," I scolded him in between kisses._

_"No I'm not," he smiled._

_"Liar," I shook my head and smiled back. "And now I have to go find and kill some mirelurks because of your big mouth."_

_"Oh, yeah, didn't I mention I've been craving softshell mirelurk meat for the past few days?" He laughed at his own cleverness._

_"You're an ass."_

_"You're welcome," he mocked, "Why are we hiding from him anyway? You know, you're not a child - you are your own person."_

_"It's not just him." I dropped my arms from his shoulders, "I'm just not ready to be scrutinized by every soldier here. Everyone sees me as some kind of automatic killing machine. Sure, there have been boyfriends, but nothing substantial. I've never been in a real relationship before, Dante. I don't know what to expect from them. I need... time."_

_"We'll tell them when I get back?" he lifted my chin up._

_"That sounds good."_

_Dante opened the door a crack to survey the hallway. "No one's around." I slipped out, kissing him once on the cheek before I left._

_That was almost a month ago, when he boarded the ferry for Maryland._

_I've never been a terribly religious person. I've always thought of Christmas as more of a family holiday than a day to rejoice the birth of Jesus, a god who turned his back on the world at any rate. It's a chance to look my father in the eye and silently say "At least we're still alive." Christmas is only two days away, and Dante hasn't made any progress in days. What's worse is the Brotherhood is using so many medical supplies to keep him alive, and not everyone is entirely happy about it. After all the lives he saved, after all the shit he's been put through, after all he's sacrificed, some just don't feel he's worth anything anymore? It's sickening to me. It's unclear now where the line will be drawn, but I fear for his safety if it goes on much longer._

_I've never spent a Christmas with Dante and strangely enough one without him seems wrong somehow. He's the one I want to look in the eye the way I do to my father every year. We deserve it. Please, Dante, wake up._

Sarah had written her latest entry in her digital journal that morning while her father was in the laboratory, and had stationed herself at Dante's bedside since. Fingering the cool metal handle of her .44 Magnum, she adjusted the holster on her belt so that she could lean forward and wind up Dante's Pip-Boy 3000. The display screen flickered lazily on, showing an overview map of Washington D.C. She studied it for a moment, wishing she had one of these useful survival tools as well. No more getting lost in the metro tunnels with the feral ghouls for her - that would be amazing. She pressed a worn rubber button on top of the device that changed the display to his notes section. Sarah flipped through them, finding little of interest until she came upon one that caught her eye:

"I am Alpha and Omega,

the beginning and the end.

I will give unto him that is athirst

of the fountain of the water of life freely."

- Revelation 21:6


	5. Hoping and Praying

A/N: I feel that this chapter seems kind of preachy in the way of religion. I'm not religious myself, not that it matters, but I use the same motifs of religion and Bible quotes following the pattern in Fallout 3. So if you feel like I'm knocking at your door at 9am on a Saturday to tell you about Jesus, I apologize.

Anyway, a big thanks to those who reviewed this story from before. You made me feel this story was worth finishing, albeit considerably late.

* * *

HOPING AND PRAYING

CHAPTER 5

_Click Click Click_. Sarah's eyes were trained on a fly on the far wall, a moving black speck against the gray concrete of the infirmary. _Click Click Click,_ she played with the safety on the scoped .44 Magnum holstered on her hip. For a second, she seriously considered shooting at it, but quickly dismissed the idea not because that the thought within itself was insane, but because there would be no evidence as to whether she had hit her mark. She sighed and shifted in her seat. The winter break was boring her to death, and the added stress of Dante's coma wasn't doing her own sanity any justice.

_I wonder if it was this hard for him when I was still unconscious, _Sarah thought. _When only one kiss suggested anything more than a friendship between us. Maybe it was even more difficult._ _Hell, at least he had things to shoot._

The rusted iron door of the infirmary creaked open. Sarah's ears perked up at the sound and she hurriedly spun around to face the doorway. She gripped the handle of her gun. It was due more to habit than her suspecting an actual threat to appear from the other side of the doorway; anything that startled Sarah made her instinctively reach for anything she could use as a weapon. She hoped to God it was only Rothchild again, and not her father - Hell, anyone but her father. To her relief, she saw it was neither suspected party as Knight Captain Colvin peaked around the corner.

"Colvin? What are you doing here?" Sarah promptly removed her hand from the revolver.

"Checking on you," he stepped over the threshold and swung the door closed behind him, "How is he?"

"Still the same," she sighed. "Just checking in on him every so often." She turned to look at the unconscious Dante. His hair and and beard began to grow back - the familiar chocolate color of it returned, but it grew in awkwardly around the grotesque scar on his temple. At least it looked like when it had finally grown back to its normal length, it would be well hidden. "It's not like there's anything better to do," she added.

"What's with the gun?" Colvin cocked his eyebrow and nodded to the weapon her hand still hovered near.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and got to her feet before answering. He was getting too close to the truth of the matter. "What do you mean? I usually have a gun on me."

"Yes, but you're also usually dressed in power armor and have a reason to carry one." He pushed further. She shrugged to dismiss his observations, anxious to avoid the direction this conversation was going.

"Hey, when's the last time you used the shooting ranges?" Sarah quickly asked, tucking a loose strand of her golden hair behind her ear. "I miss the constant firefights, you know?"

Colvin chuckled and leaned back against the wall. "Not for a good two weeks or thereabout. Yeah, I mean, I'm enjoying the rest, but at the same time there's nothing to_ do_."

"Shooting contest. You, me, and a super mutant dummy outside. Long range." She challenged her own Pride member, arms folded.

"Oh, how tempting. How can I say no to that?" Colvin grinned.

"You can't say no to that. I'm still your boss." Sarah remarked flatly and stared back at him, mouth pursed and eyebrows furrowed, until both she and Colvin burst into laughter. She started moving toward the door, expecting Colvin to follow suit. "C'mon, soldier."

"Just a minute... boss," he walked past her. Kneeling by Dante's bedside, he folded his hands in front of him and bowed his head. "Lord, please keep Dante safe and return him to us soon. If there is anyone in this world who is most deserving of your attention and divine healing, it's him. In your name we pray. Amen."

Sarah surveyed Dante's slim profile again. It was terrible he had lost so much weight and his injuries certainly weren't something to be shrugged off, but in that moment, without knowing it, Colvin had caused her hopes to rise for his recovery for the first time in days. No one else apart from herself and Rothchild had cared enough to visit Dante on a regular basis, and frankly, she wasn't sure if she were more pissed off or depressed about it. The sincerity of Colvin's short prayer and his willingness to show his concern comforted her, and reminded her she wasn't the only one agonizing over Dante's current state, even if they hadn't come to the infirmary in person.

She knew most Brothers hoped for his recovery, but it was the ones who whispered behind her back, the ones foolish enough to see Dante as a liability rather than an asset to the Brotherhood, who worried her. Those who should have left and joined the Outcasts - they were the reason why she wore a gun. Dante was still the man who saved the Capital Wasteland from the Enclave's control, from the virus. He was still their savior, even if they hated him.

Since he had been brought back, Sarah had withdrawn herself from her usual social circle. In the past week, she had barely spoken two words to anyone aside from her father. That was unusual for her, but hopefully no one cared enough to look any further into it. The Lyons' Pride was like her family, and Colvin was a close friend, both older and wiser than her. He was the most religious of any of the Pride members, and while Sarah and most of the rest of the Pride were more agnostic than Colvin, his experience and convictions set him apart from the rest, granting him an unofficial status as their mentor.

"Amen," she whispered under her breath. She trusted him with her life constantly; would it really be so crazy to confide in him the details of her complicated relationship with the Lone Wanderer? _No, but the time isn't right_, she decided.

* * *

"100 caps says I beat you," Colvin remarked, patting the barrel of the rifle they had retrieved from the armory.

"200 says you don't," Sarah retorted.

"Bring it. I could use the extra money." He laughed.

"Only if you win," she shot back mockingly, and followed her close friend and arguably the Lyons' Pride's best sharpshooter up the stairs to one of the balconies where they would hold their friendly competition.

"Have you lost your mind, Sentinel? Did you forget I'm a sniper?"

"Did you forget I'm a Lyons?"

"This should prove interesting at least," he said, pushing snow off of the edge of the raised platform with his boots. Sarah unfolded the blanket they had brought and placed it in the space Colvin cleared, to provide them with some protection from the ground. He took his time setting up their sniping position, resting the barrel of the gun on a sandbag and counting out the appropriate amount of ammunition they needed. "All right, three shots each. Closest to either eye wins."

"Ladies first," Sarah jokingly stated and gestured for him to begin.

"Hilarious, Ma'am."

"I thought so."

His first shot hit the dummy in the neck, and the second in the shoulder. "Well, this rifle isn't sighted correctly at all," he grumbled as he lined up his last shot, which landed closest to his target, in the cheek. "Well, could be worse." Colvin stood, allowing Sarah to set up for her turn.

"You can make excuses once I've already won," she joked, placing her eye to the scope. She set the cross hair directly in line with the target's right eye and fired, but hit the dummy square in the chest. "Okay, I take that back, you weren't kidding." She tried again, placing the cross hair slightly above the same eye and and a little to the right, but this time she missed its mark altogether. "Damn it," she cursed and Colvin did his best not to laugh. "You know what, I'm gonna use my pistol for my last shot if you'll allow me."

"Fine. That's a sidearm. Not very good range." he scoffed. "I smell victory."

"It's better than this piece of shit," she took the .44 from its holster it and spun the chamber to made sure it was loaded. "Besides, it has a scope." Sarah took her time, paying more attention to the angle of the gun as she aimed, rather than only relying on the gun's sight. It turned out to be a good plan - the bullet made contact with the dummy's brow, right above it's eye. "Yes! Bullseye!" she exclaimed.

"Wh- How-?" He shook his head, his eyes darting between the unfortunate super mutant dummy and Sarah. "There's absolutely no reason in the world why you should be able to do that." Colvin kneeled down beside her, extending his hand in congratulations. "Good game. That's... that's rather scary, in fact. Remind me never to piss you off."

"You should have learned that lesson long ago. And keep your caps - I'm in it for the glory." Sarah got to her feet, shook off the irradiated water on her hands and smiled. "Shall we get back inside?"

"You go ahead, I'm going to properly calibrate this rifle. I can't believe this came from _our_ armory." He was already lining up another shot.

"All right." Sarah turned to head back down the steps. "Don't stay out here too long."

"Aye, Sentinel."

Sarah was still smiling to herself as she hung the borrowed community coat back in its locker. She could hear numerous voices from down the corridor. _The Brothers are probably telling stories in the Great Hall again, _she thought, _Maybe I should join them - I have a pretty good one to tell._ Then there was something that sounded more like a fight. Her victorious smile faded._Something isn't right. _Then she heard the yelling.


	6. Caution

CAUTION

CHAPTER 6

Sarah arrived in the doorway of the infirmary to a new recruit whose rifle was leveled at the only other person in the back of the room. Medical equipment lay scattered around her boots and overturned carts hindered her path.

"Calm down! Just fucking clam down man! Get back on the bed." The man on the far side of the room who was clad only in boxers and a white undershirt ignored the one in power armor, and was at present busy with pulling out several intravenous needles from his arms.

Sarah ran up from behind the recruit and pushed the barrel of the weapon away. "Put the damn gun down," she growled, "What the hell are you thinking?"

"Apologies Sentinel," he slung it back on his shoulder and saluted, "Recruit Justin Cedar, Ma'am. I was on duty, guarding the door. He woke up and just started trashing the room. He's confused."

"No shit," she made a mental note of the novice's profile. Red hair, thin beard, green eyes. She'd put him through the physical endurance training from hell once spring broke.

The solider sensed the hostility in her voice and perhaps the cold fire in her eyes and promptly made an excuse to remove himself from the current situation. "I'll go get Scribe Rothchild." Sarah nodded her agreement and Cedar began to weave his way through the debris covering the floor.

"Dante! You're safe," she said and moved toward him, but he continued, now ripping sensors off different areas of his body. Didn't he recognize her voice? "It's alright! You're back in the Citadel," Sarah put her hands on Dante's shoulders, trying to get him to sit back down on the bed. "You're injured. Lay back down." As soon as Dante felt her touch, he yelped in surprise and shrugged away. She backed off.

"Wha-" was the only half-word he said. His eyes were distant, hazy, but unmistakably Dante's. He held his hands out in front of him, feeling for where she used to stand just a moment before.

"Sentinel?" The red-haired man asked from the door. She looked to him, wondering what to do next. "Is he oka- Oh, shit."

Sarah heard her own involuntary scream and felt some new shooting pain up her arm as Dante held it, twisted, behind her with his left. In an instant, he unhostlered the .44 at her side with his other hand and pressed the cold metal point to her lower back. Just as quickly, the novice had his gun aimed again. He was a quick draw, she'd give him that.

"Dante! It's me! It's Sarah! Stop!" She was familiar with this technique. Hell, she _taught_ him this technique. She knew her arm, bent at an unnatural angle, would dislocate at the shoulder with just one well-placed increase in pressure at the right spot. There was nothing Sarah could do that wouldn't end in her being worse off for trying to get free. Yet, there also was nothing Cedar could do. She was blocking any chance of a clean shot he could take, any non-lethal shot, that is. Dante's head was still rather exposed. "Cedar, don't shoot!"

"Ma'am, he could kill you," he still kept his aim, finger on the trigger.

"That was an order!" Sarah yelled. Cedar kept steady. "Only attack if he shoots first. Non-lethal only."

Dante was having trouble staying upright, using Sarah to support as much of his weight as possible, which in turn was causing the barrel of the revolver to press even more painfully into her skin. From the way he was positioned, she could tell he was favoring his broken leg and his persistent wheezing told her that his ribs hadn't healed yet either. He was weak, but he was still strong as ever.

_What the hell-_

"Walk," Dante breathed from behind her. It was an emotionless and terrifying command.

Weighing her options, Sarah decided to obey his order. Slowly and carefully, she moved to the hallway, kicking a path for her and Dante to follow. Cedar kept them in his line of sight, but was wise enough to back out further from the doorway, stopping behind a corner outside of a barracks room that could provide some cover for him if the need would arise. Once they reached the hallway, Sarah found that it was surprisingly vacated. Dante was aware enough to keep her between himself and Cedar, forcing her to walk backward now, toward the A ring. Cedar didn't move to follow until they had already entered the next level of the Citadel, then sprinted to the doors they had disappeared behind, taking care to open them gently to not alarm Dante. There was little he could do but watch.

Dante persisted, taking her through the A ring and closer to the Great Hall, where she knew a group of people were entertaining themselves. Two distinctive voices, those of Paladin Glade and Knight Captain Dusk, gained in volume as Dante continued dragging her with him, the barrel of her own gun constantly pressing cruelly into her back. They were moving toward more people, and more people could render any response from Dante. Right now, he was completely unpredictable.

Sarah was silent the entire way, and took even more precaution to make sure this was the case as they passed outside of the Great Hall. Anything could alert them to her and Dante's presence, even something as little as a grunt he made due to the pain of walking on his broken leg, but he was smart enough to do the same, making sure his breathing wasn't audible as they made their way past the threat.

Finally, they reached the stairwell to the courtyard. He paused, easing the pressure of the gun from her and the pressure on her twisted arm. It would be difficult to climb the stairs with her the way he had forced Sarah to walk with him in the hallway. Perhaps he would let her go here it didn't look like Cedar had followed them. Or he might shoot her. Either scenario was just as likely.

As if on cue, the dumb, red-haired recruit emerged from the doors. Dante regained his hold, causing Sarah to gasp as a new flood of pain overcame her. They began their ascent as fast as Dante could, now ignoring the previous need for stealth.

When they reached the top, Dante threw his back into the heavy steel doors, pulling her out after him into the freezing courtyard. Confused as he was, this was something new and unexpected. She doubted he had ever seen snow before and in that moment, he made the fatal mistake of letting his guard down. His stunned silence was accompanied by a loose hold on her wrist. She sensed her opening.

Sarah attacked as fast as she could, swinging her elbow behind her and connecting with Dante's already bruised ribcage.

"Aooww!" Dante howled out, stumbling back a bit from her and releasing his grip, if but for a second. That's all she needed, spinning free from her captor as fast as humanly possible. But Dante quickly recovered from the blow, swinging the pistol back up to aim at her chest.

"Don't shoot!" Sarah shouted, instinctively throwing her hands up in front of her. She was unarmed, defenseless.

Dante's trembling thumb was resting on the safety. His harsh eyes were burning into hers, and he was doing his best to stay standing by holding the place her elbow had hit. His warm breath condensed in front of him, exaggerating his staggered breathing. An expression of anger and confusion was etched onto his face. In one motion, he flicked the hammer down. Gunfire.

Sarah was numb, even to the freezing concrete ground as her legs fell out from under her. Then absolute silence, aside from the sound of her own heartbeat pulsing in her ears. The wave of adrenaline coursing through her veins sent a chill through her body colder than the nuclear winter air. She landed on her side, grasping at her chest in desperation. No blood. No pain. She, by some miracle, had reacted quickly enough to dodge the bullet. With the realization that there might be a second, she rolled to push herself up on her hands and knees. Perhaps she could run further into the courtyard and take cover before Dante could take the next shot.

There was blood splattered in the snow, but it couldn't be hers. Sarah's revolver lay in the snow just a few feet from her. _What?_

Dante had fallen to the opposite side. He was on his back, groaning in agony, clutching at his right shoulder. Streams of crimson flowed between his fingers, dripping onto the radioactive snow, creating a steadily increasing pool of red contrasting against the white.

_Oh God._ Sarah's eyes scanned the balconies above the courtyard and found Colvin where she had left him.

Colvin stood, signing in the Brotherhood's silent code, _Are you injured?_

_Negative,_ she mimed back. _To me._ He began to descend the nearby stairs immediately.

* * *

"Is it even him?" someone asked.

"He's wearing his Pip Boy 3000. And he certainly looks like Dante to me." Colvin replied.

"Could have been taken from a dead Dante. Wouldn't be the first time clones have caused us trouble, remember Elder Lyons?" Sarah felt nauseated. "I want to be absolutely sure," Paladin Glade turned back to the hospital bed, "Any identifying marks on his body? Like a tattoo?"

Nothing she could readily admit to intimately knowing about. Wait. "His left shoulder." She inserted. "He has scars on the back of it."

"Are you sure?" Cross asked.

_Yes, I am damned sure, thank you, _she thought.

"That's right. From a minigun. 5mm ammo." Colvin rubbed his forehead. "Super mutants a while back."

_Thank God for you, Colvin._

"Flip him over." Glade ordered.

"But his wounded shoulder-" Rothchild began.

"Do it." Elder Lyons interrupted.

Sarah did her best not to look over to her father. She could feel his eyes upon her as Glade and Rothchild obeyed their superior. Dante made an audible grunt of pain as they did so, even with the great amount of morphine he had been given, as he continued to struggle to maintain consciousness. He hadn't spoken since he held a gun at her back, even when flooded with questions coming from what should have been familiar voices to him.

"There they are." Rothchild confirmed Dante's identity with those few words. Sarah could breathe again.

* * *

That night Sarah made her way to Dante's long-vacated room, and after lockpicking the door, let herself in to the small, dark once-haven they had shared. She stood in the doorway for a while before stepping over the threshold into the stale air, finding the light switch for the few fluorescent bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Everything was as he left it, whiskey at the bedside and all. Just what she needed. After retrieving the bottle, she went to the far wall where she could more easily survey the room and sat down, leaning against the cold concrete, feeling the tears running down her cheeks.

* * *

Open to the idea of a beta reader. Might help my ADD with this. PM me if interested.

Read & Review.


	7. Diagnosis

DIAGNOSIS

CHAPTER 7

_Sarah Lyons' Journal_

_Entry #625_

_December 31st_

_He's asleep again. The pain killers they gave him finally kicked in. Colvin is guarding him in the infirmary right now. They think he's suffered brain damage. I don't know how else to describe what happened yesterday. He has a fever, which probably means infection. My father gave Rothchild permission to start him on our very limited supply of antibiotics. Those brothers who were disgruntled before are pissed now._

Sarah sat there, staring at the screen in front of her for a while before hastily adding,

_It's Dante - I know it is._

*_Logged out_

She made her way down to the lab where Liberty Prime was still under repair. Rothchild hadn't made much progress on the metal giant since Dante had stopped bring him scavenged parts back from his adventures in the Capital Wasteland. She descended the stairs to the lower floor and headed to the armory. She was going to take a walk.

* * *

"Tell me everything you know. Now." Sarah growled, slamming a red-haired girl down onto the bar face-first and twisting her arm behind her. It wasn't that hard for Sarah to track her target down, especially after she heard the reports of a battered old ferry being moored on the Potomac just outside Rivet City.

"Aaahhoow! Who are you? W-What do you want?" the young girl screamed in pain. Patrons of The Muddy Rudder, Rivet City's finest bar, quickly vacated their stools at the sight of the pissed off, Power Armor-clad Lyons Pride member. Even the bar's bouncer preferred to avoid confrontation with her and followed suit.

"I'm Sentinel Lyons and if I'm not mistaken, you are Nadine. I was there when you brought Dante to us." She tightened her grip. "What did you do to him?"

"Dante? I didn't do anything to him. Why? Is he still unconscious?" Nadine was on the verge of tears now, her face turning as bright red as her dyed hair. Sarah let go, but aimed a laser pistol at her for good measure. Nadine spun around in a panic.

"Not anymore. He woke up but didn't recognize anyone in the Brotherhood. He attacked us. Was he confused when he was with you?"

"No, I mean. He knew his name, his mission... he was... fine. At least he was until that last fight when he was knocked out." She took a moment to think. "You said you were a Lyons, right? Sarah Lyons?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow at the mention of her first name. "Yes. What of it?"

"When we were in Point Lookout, he used to talk about you and the Lyons Pride, and the things you did back in the Capital Wasteland," Nadine smirked. "I didn't believe half of the stories he told me until I got back here. I've been gone longer than I thought. I mean, look at this." Nadine produced a brown bottle from the bag slung across her chest and took a sip. "And it didn't even cost me a cap."

"Look, I'm here for information. Do you know anything, _anything_ at all that could help us figure out what is wrong with him-"

Nadine placed the bottle back in her bag and looked up with sympathetic eyes at the blond soldier towering over her. "No. I don't. I'm sorry. Dante - he very likely saved my life. If I knew anything, I would let you know, but-" She shook her head.

Sarah reholstered her weapon and sat down on the closest bar stool. "Thank you."

"For what?"

She avoided looking into Nadine's eyes. "For bringing him back."

Taken by surprise, Nadine stuttered, "Oh, uh... You-You're welcome," before taking a seat next to Sarah. "You know, I run that old ferry now. I make a living trading punga fruit up here. It has unique properties that reduce radiation levels. I still have some stock back on the boat. I'd be happy to give you some. Maybe we could even arrange a business deal." She shifted in her seat to look at Sarah more directly. "And for what it's worth, I hope he's all right."

* * *

"What do you mean 'left'?" Sarah was clearly frustrated with Garza, the only remaining Rivet City lab worker, who was more of a physical laborer than an actual scientist.

"I mean Dr. Li is gone. She packed up and left Rivet City. In fact, I think she left the Capital Wasteland. After the Brotherhood of Steel made Project Purity an Enclave target in the first place. You and your Brothers got most of her science team killed, and then you had the nerve to assume command?" Garza's defiant scowl softened the tiniest bit. "And especially after that man, James, died. There was nothing left for her here."

Sarah felt a pang of guilt in her stomach at the mention of Dante's father's name. Memories from that day came flooding back to her. She remembered Dante's way- or lack thereof- of dealing with the pain of James' death by self medicating with 200 year old whiskey. Albeit, she couldn't blame him. That day the Brotherhood became his only surviving family.

Quickly, Sarah lowered her tone to a calmer state. "Please understand that I need your help. James' son, Dante is...sick. Our scribes have done all they could for him, but we still don't know what is causing it."

"Wait the Wanderer? _The _Wanderer? That boy saved my life." Sarah had to consciously retrain herself from rolling her eyes at him. _If I had a cap for every time... _Graza rubbed the back of his neck in thought. "I'm no doctor. Try the clinic upstairs."

After several equally ineffective conversations on the rusting, old aircraft carrier, Sarah made her return to the Citadel, taking a route through the Citadel Laboratory to drop off the bag of fruit Nadine had sent her off with.

As usual, Rothchild and his fellow scribes could be found on the bottom level of the Lab, still trying to repair Liberty Prime. He caught her eye as she made her way past and rushed to catch up. "Hello Sentinel Lyons. I hope your trip was productive?"

"Unfortunately, no. I hoped to have Dr. Li's help in evaluating Dante's condition, but she moved away from Rivet City and no one there could even tell me where she moved to." She shifted the burlap bag on her shoulder. "At least I got some grocery shopping done while I was there. Nadine couldn't offer me anything more useful than this sickly-looking fruit."

"We'll figure it out, Sarah. You might want to check on Colvin, he's been standing guard in the infirmary since early this morning. He wouldn't let anyone relieve him until you got back. And as for Dante, his fever is gone now and we stopped antibiotics, but we still have him on sedatives for safety."

Sarah nodded and took a minute to consider what she was going to say next. "Rothchild, I want to wake him up again." Sarah had an idea. She hoped to God it would work.

* * *

"You're assuming it's been an infection the entire time..." Rothchild started.

"I am."

Rothchild sighed, but did not offer any further debate.

Sarah stayed against the far wall, leaning back on the closed door. The other two Brothers took their places, Colvin with his weapon drawn at the bedside and Rothchild next to him, holding the syringe.

Rothchild looked to each of them in turn. "Ready?"

"Ready," Colvin replied.

She only nodded.

Rothchild proceeded to roll up Dante's sleeve to inject the adrenal fluid into the muscle. Almost immediately, Dante's heart rate went through the roof. He opened his eyes wearily, in obvious pain.

"Dante, can you hear me?" Colvin asked.

"Colvin?" he asked uncertainly, smiling a bit.

"Hm," Colvin clapped Dante on his good shoulder. "There's the boy. Thank the Maker."

"What happened? How'd I get back here?" He lifted his head up and surveyed the room in front of him before falling back on the pillow with a grunt. "And why do you have a gun pointed at me?"

"Do you not remember?" Colvin's hopeful smile turned into a frown, and he kept his aim steady.

"Colvin..." Dante froze. "What the hell happened?"

Sarah moved from her isolated spot behind Dante to stand next to him. "Colvin, go get some rest. I'll fill him in."

"Sar-Sentinel," Dante quickly recovered from his blunder and moved to sit up.

"Easy, soldier," she gently pushed on his chest to get him to lie flat on his back once more. Sarah's other hand was instinctively at the ready by her sidearm, returned to its rightful place in her hip holster. Dante's free hand moved closer to hers, still lingering on his chest, but didn't quite touch.

Colvin gave her a quizzical look. "Are you sure?"

"You're relieved. I'll take over from here." She said, removing her .44 and handing it to a surprised Colvin, who was already on his way out. Rothchild followed after him. She looked back to Dante and added, "He's already _not_ taking me hostage in a psychotic rage. That's progress. Baby steps."

Sarah glared at him. _Wait until after he's gone. _Dante said nothing.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Dante bolted forward again to find Sarah's lips, but she pulled away before he could hit his mark.

"Sarah?" He asked in a pained voice.

She held her stare before grabbing his shoulders and desperately hugging him to her breast. He snaked his arm around her waist and snuggled his face into the crook of her neck.

"I missed you." he whispered.

Sarah's only response was a sharp inhale.


	8. Returning to Routine

RETURNING TO ROUTINE

CHAPTER 8

_Sarah Lyons' Journal_

_Entry #633_

_March 3rd, 2278_

_The winter is almost at an end. It's about time we continue sweep missions across the wasteland and now we have the added responsibility of distributing aqua pura. Luckily, the Lyons Pride is too elite of a squad to be assigned such a lame task._

_Dante's gotten so much better since the beginning of the year. We now know his deranged attack was caused by him being exposed to a massive amount of hallucinogenic gas and a following infection. He was simply not in his right mind._

_His leg was messed up pretty badly though and Rothchild still has him wearing a removable plastic cast. Most of his other injuries have healed, except a few broken bones and bruises here and there. I may have given him a few of them myself in bed after being separated from him for so long._

Sarah smirked and glanced over her shoulder just to make sure no one was around to read her private words. As usual, no one had decided to spend their afternoon in the Pride's Den. She let the edges of her mouth drop into a frown as she continued:

_Although, we still never did officially make our relationship public._

Just then, Dante poked his head in the doorway. "Greetings Sentinel. Whatcha working on?"

_*Logged off_

"Nothing much. Was running through some old logs."

"Anyone else around?"

"Nope."

"I like that answer. I have an hour before I'm supposed to be in the Lab."

"Lock the door."

* * *

"Do you think she's ready, Owyn?"

"Sarah is more than capable, old friend."

"That was never in question. My only concern is... well, do you think the time is right?"

"Now that we have a solid footing in the wasteland and scarred and scattered the Enclave? I think the timing couldn't be more right to pass the reins." He scoffed into his glass.

Rothchild downed the rest of his drink. "You know what I mean. Don't pretend you don't."

"Dante." Lyons refilled their whiskey in turn.

"Hm. You know, they remind me of Nicole and yourself. All those years ago in California."

"Though I hope we were more subtle in the beginning than those two."

"If I had a cap for whenever I caught Sarah staring at him while he was working in the Lab, I'd be a much richer man for it."

Owyn chuckled. "That may be true. But to answer your original question, Reginald: I think they'll shape the future of the Brotherhood. Together. I will let her know soon and let her prepare before I make the announcement to the Brothers."

"I think that's wise. Let her ease into the position."

* * *

The snow had finally begun to melt in Capital Wasteland. Months had passed since Dante's attack on Sarah, and it was plain to see the joy on Sarah's face as soon as the weather began to break. Months holed up underground did not agree with her. As the day was coming to an end, Sarah traveled the corridors of the B Ring, happily not worried about being seen since she was headed to Dante's room on Brotherhood business. Well, officially, anyway.

Sarah balanced the wooden crate she was carrying on her hip as she cracked open the door to find darkness before her eyes. "Dante?"

"Hey Sarah." He groaned from the bed peaking across to her from behind the arm he had draped over his eyes.

"Not feeling well?"

"My head is killing me." He managed to say, with effort. "Threw up all over a circuit board in the lab when I was working with Rothchild."

"Did he give you anything for it?"

"Ibuprofen." Dante held up a small white bottle and threw it aimlessly to the floor. "Useless."

"Hm. It's only because we gave you so much Med-X before. The last thing we need is to make a chem addict out of you." She explained, sitting on the edge of the bed, next to him.

"I know."

"I forgot to tell you earlier that we resume operations next week. It's about damn time."

"Ah, that's why you're so giddy."

"Well, yes. And this." She said, sliding the box over to him. "From the Brotherhood, to you."

Dante sat up and switched on his Pip-Boy light. "Aw, you shouldn't have." He teased.

He lifted the top up to reveal a brand new suit of power armor, adorned with the Brotherhood's winged sword, but where there were usually three cogs, a snarling lion rampant stood in their place. "Welcome to the Pride, Knight Dante."

He took out a piece of the shoulder plating and ran his fingers over the seal. "Specialization?"

"Explosives and tech."

"Damn straight." He let out a small laugh, then turned to face her. "Though I know I can't replace Vargas."

This caught Sarah off guard. Paladin Vargas, the Lyons' Pride's Sargent, had been her right-hand man for years. He was killed as they were carrying out their operation to take the Purifier back from the Enclave. A truly bittersweet victory. "He was a good man and a good soldier. The Brotherhood will never be the same without him." Sarah reflected on her old friend, but Dante's face remained somber. "There's no point in blaming yourself for his death."

"I don't. I blame the Enclave soldier who had him in his crosshairs." He answered, setting the heavy, army-green plating back in the crate. "This... is an honor, Sarah. Thank you." He said before cradling his head in his hands.

"Lay back down." Sarah ordered. Dante obliged. She moved the crate from the bed and set it on the floor, before going over to the first aid box on the wall near the door, removing a single syringe of Med-X, sterile gauze and rubbing alcohol. "And don't tell Rothchild." She pulled up his sleeve, cleaned the skin at the crook of his elbow and pushed the needle into his arm.

The relief could immediately be seen on Dante's face. "Much better." Sarah climbed into the vacant side of the bed and nestled against him, running her fingers through his deep brown hair that had regrown to its normal length over the last few months, cut in a short style. "Are you staying here tonight?"

"Unfortunately, that's a negative. I'm to meet with my father at twenty-one hundred hours."

"Did I mention my head hurts?" Dante remarked, wrapping his arm around her.

"Nine, Dante." She sighed, taunting him. "We have until then. Try to sleep."

* * *

"Hello father." Sarah greeted her father in his living room.

"Sarah." He looked up at her from behind his reading glasses, setting down the papers his eyes were busy scanning before she walked in. He motioned to the chair opposite himself. "Have a seat."

Sarah did as he asked. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about, sir?"

Owyn rubbed his hands together, rough and wrinkled as they were, preparing to speak. "There is no point in delaying telling you this any more than I already have. I'm getting old, Sarah, and leading the Brotherhood is becoming hard on me." Sarah could feel her muscles involuntarily tense and her fingernails dig painfully into her now-sweating palms. She knew exactly where this conversation was going. "I think it's nigh time you take over in my place."

"Sir, I... accept." Conflicting emotions overwhelmed her. To hear this from her father, while expected for quite some time now, was like being punched in the chest. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel proud, yet terrified.

"You will still have the Pride to lead, don't worry. You know as well as I do the only reason I don't undergo missions anymore is due to my, well, advanced age."

"I know, sir. It's a shame. You're one hell of a shot."

Owyn gave her a thoughtful smile. "We'll take our time with this and I'll train you what you need to know over the next few months, before we announce my retirement to the rest of the Brotherhood."

"That would be wise, sir."

"I was saving this for a special occasion." Owyn produced a bottle of what was once considered top-shelf scotch from the nearest cabinet, along with two glasses. "I think now is the perfect time."

"Thank you, sir." Sarah accepted the drink he held out to her, and finished it off quickly.

Owyn leaned forward to refill her glass. "How is Dante?"

"Uh, well, when I was dropping off his new power armor, he had a migraine. Other than that, I think he's fine. Getting better." Sarah paused, studying her father's face. Cool, calm and expecting her to continue with her explanation. He didn't mean Dante's status, he meant _their_ status. "How long have you known?"

"A long time. When you both were in comas for weeks, one day I was sitting in the infirmary, visiting you, and that's when he woke up in a panic. He was so worried about you that when he saw you were okay, he cried. I knew then the way he felt about you."

She nodded sadly. "He was brave to go into the reactor. He didn't want to see me have to."

"He's a great man, Sarah." Owyn took another sip of the fiery liquid.

"I'm glad you approve, father."

"I'm sure your mother would have as well."

Sarah let out a ragged breath. "Me too."

The father and daughter continued their conversation into the night, with Sarah finally relieved it was all out there in the open. If she were to take control of the Brotherhood, she would have enough to deal with, let alone the burden of harboring a secret boyfriend down the hall.

* * *

She was as quiet as she could possibly be as she once again pushed open the door to Dante's room to see him sprawled out on the bed, leaving her no room to crawl into bed without waking him. Whether she was generally in a good mood, or perhaps just rather goofy from the strong alcohol she drank earlier, she decided to have a little fun with him. Trying to be as stealthy as possible, she removed her shoes at the door and made the rest of the way to the bed barefoot. She took a minute to carefully plan her attack, before jumping onto the bed, straddling his waist and pinning his wrists to the mattress. Dante bolted upright with a grunt, quickly knocking her off balance, and giving him the advantage to flip their positions, frantically reaching for something by the bed stand.

The fear on his face morphed into genuine confusion as giggling ensued on Sarah's part. "Sarah?"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." She continued laughing drunkenly. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, actually. Though I could have done without the surprise attack. I could have shot you, you fool." He released his grip and rolled onto his side. "Oh, you smell like whiskey. You went drinking without me? Aww. Though, that does explain a lot."

She stretched out and positioned herself to face him. "My father told me he is finally stepping down from leading the Brotherhood. I'm to take his place. And then he made the mistake of offering me scotch."

"That's... wow. Great news. I would say we should celebrate, but it seems like you took care of that already." He poked fun at her tipsy state and leaned over to kiss her.

"Dante, there is another thing. My father knows. About us, I mean."

"Did you finally tell him?" Dante asked, tucking a few strands of her golden hair behind her ear.

She considered telling him the truth, but decided against it. "Yeah."

"And... he's... _okay_ with this?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, you mean I now can finally flirt with you in public? Oh, happy day." He smirked. "You know, we should go out tomorrow. Before things start up again. To celebrate. Rivet City is really close by. There's a bar, shopping, everything a woman could want."

"Sounds like fun." She shifted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Alright then." he yawned. "Now _you_ try to sleep."


	9. Homecoming

HOMECOMING

CHAPTER 9

"Dante? Dante." Sarah called his name several times, but he never looked up from his work. With technology, Dante just became... focused. He truly belonged in the Brotherhood. She had to physically walk over to him and wave a hand in his face before he acknowledged her existence. "Dante!"

"Woah, what?"

"I brought you your holotags. You're supposed to wear them at all times."

He held out the palm of his free hand and accepted the freshly-pressed metal.

_KENNEDY_

_DANTE J._

_KNIGHT OF THE_

_BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL_

_BLOOD: O POS_

"Oh. Nice. I can only hope I look as sexy as you do wearing only these." He smirked and put the chain around his neck.

She had the urge to throw him onto the workbench and find out for herself. "Not a chance."

"Way to shoot down my confidence, Sarah." He beamed at her playfulness.

"So what are you doing with that thing?" She pointed to the laser pistol sitting in pieces on the workbench in front of him.

"It's Dusk's. It needed maintenance, but she has no idea how it works other than pull trigger, kill mutants."

"Hey, energy weapons can be tricky. Also, I think she has a bit of a crush on you. Too bad for her." She leaned against the wall beside him.

"Nah... Wait, seriously?" He laughed. "Looks like you've got competit- Ow!" He popped his thumb in his mouth, slightly burned from touching the exposed prongs of the jammed energy cell.

"Now if that isn't an act of Karma, I don't know what is. So, I have a bit of time for lunch, want me to bring something up here, or do you plan to work on that busted thing until you starve to death?"

"Yes, please. I'm so hungry." He responded without looking up, trying to get the cartridge out using a screwdriver, ultimately causing it to spark. "Damnit!"

"Yeah, well try not to kill yourself until I get back."

He saluted her on the way out. "Aye, Sentinel."

She returned a few minutes later. "Alright, so we've got a can of Cram, Pork n' Beans two bags of Potato Crisps and your favorite - Nuka Cola."

"Mmm. Food." He twisted the cap off his soda bottle and pocketed it as Sarah rationed their lunch in two. "What a romantic picnic."

"You're such a smart ass."

"At least you added the adjective: smart."

Sarah caught movement out of the corner of her eye, recognizing the figure in the doorway as Squire Maxson. "Hail, Sentinel Lyons. Knight Kennedy."

A grimace passed over his face "Please... just call me Dante."

"Yes, sir."

"Are you hungry, Maxson?" Sarah asked, extending her arm in greeting.

"Uh. Yes, Ma'am. But I don't want to intrude." He stared to back away.

"Don't be silly. Sit down. We have more here than we're going to eat."

"O-okay, ma'am."

She handed him her bag of potato crisps. "Maxson, I think you're past due for more shooting practice. How about training with the Pride outside on the shooting ranges?"

"Wow. Yes, ma'am! But I would have to ask for Rothchild's permission first." Maxson looked absolutely elated at her suggestion.

"I'll ask him for you. You've been stuck holed up in the Citadel constantly studying whatever he throws at you over the winter. It's about time for some combat training."

"Hang on. I recall Maxson telling me about his little mishap the last time," Dante butted in. "Or don't you remember that he shot you the last time you took him out for practice?"

Maxson's cheeks flushed red.

"Well, yeah... but did he not tell you the whole story? Only Myself, Maxson and Dusk and Gallows were outside the gate, not even very far. We were looking for mirelurks on the river banks when we ran into a group of muties." She explained. "We immediately opened fire, but as you know, they're difficult to kill. One was able to survive long enough to charge straight at me. It grabbed my arm and picked me up off the ground. Maxson here finished it off with a few headshots, but he missed once and the bullet grazed my hand. It wasn't that bad of an injury. Hell, having a dislocated shoulder was more painful than that."

"Well, that's more heroic than the way he told it. Next time throw in a little context, kid." Dante joked at him, punching him in the arm. "But thanks for saving my girlfriend's life."

If it were possible, Maxson turned an even deeper shade of crimson.

"Yes, well..." Sarah began in a slightly annoyed tone, "Maybe you could teach him more about explosives in your free time. That is your specialty after all."

"Sure. Whatever he wants to learn. Basic chemistry should be about right for you."

"Dante, he's ten years old."

"So was I when I accidentally blew up half my father's lab. It was awesome." Dante said between mouthfuls of Cram. "Anyway, he's a smart boy, he can do it."

"Yes sir. I have to go. Rothchild will be looking for me. Sentinel. Knight." Maxson saluted them in turn and made for the door, half-empty bag of chips in hand.

"What happened to his parents anyway?" Dante asked once the boy was out of earshot.

"John and Jessica Maxson were both killed when he was very small. The western elders sent him to us for his own safety and my father was to foster him. That was back before we established a permanent base here and changed our mission for the good of the Capital Wasteland. I honestly don't think he'll ever be sent back west." She finished off the last of the Pork n' Beans.

"Poor kid."

"Yeah." Sarah sighed.

"He likes you, you know. Respects you. He says a lot of the Brothers don't care much for him, but you're, quote, 'nice'. I could hardly believe my ears."

"He's been through a lot. Be nice to him, you jerk." She threatened him with her spoon.

"You know I'm kidding." He placed his hand on hers. "You're really great with him. But now that he's gone... how about some classy dining music?" He flipped to the radio tuner of his Pip-Boy 3000. "So we've got Galaxy News Radio, Agatha's, and... what the hell is this?" He stared down at his wrist, where the mini computer translated the new station as '101 EMERGENCY BROADCAST'. He rushed out the door. "C'mon."

"Dante? What the- Where are you going?" She ran out as well, following him onto the catwalk of the Lab and even further into the no-longer deserted courtyard where initiates, knights and paladins alike were training.

"I need a clear signal."

"For what-"

"Shut up!"

_-ergency. Repeat. Emergency. This is an automated distress message from Vault-Tec. Vault 1-0-1 message begins: This is Amata Almodovar, Overseer of Vault 101. The settlement of Megaton has been invaded by the Enclave. Vault 101 is currently in lockdown. We and the refugees of Megaton who have taken shelter in the vault request aid. Repeat. Aid requested. Our supplies are limited. We will only last a month without outside help, or be forced to surrender to the Enclave. Dante, if you're out there. Please. Help us. Repeat. Emergency. Repeat. Emergency. This is an automa-_

Dante switched it off. "Amata..." She saw that he shaking. "I have to go." He quickly turned on his heel and made for the A Ring, but Sarah grabbed his wrist before he take another step.

"I'm coming with you. The entire Pride is."

He nodded. "Thank you, Sarah. But I guess we'll have to push back our celebration."

"Don't worry about it. Go get your gear, I'll alert the rest."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"Sentinel, what's the situation?" Colvin asked, standing at attention with the rest of the Pride in the Den who were all already clad in their signature power armor, minus Dante.

"We have Enclave problems again, Brothers. They've taken control of Megaton. Refugees from the settlement have holed up in Vault 101."

"Ma'am, I thought we blew them off the map." Gallows was the next to speak.

"So did I. But it seems like they just won't die." Sarah loaded a fresh microfusion cell into the chamber of her favorite plasma rifle. "Like fucking radroaches."

"Let's go kill the bastards then." Dusk said.

"That's the plan." Sarah slung her rifle on her shoulder as Dante walked into the room and took his place at attention at the end of the row.

Sarah turned to him. "Knight Dante, you're familiar with the area. Care to brief us on the situation?"

"Uh. R-right." Dante stuttered before regaining his composure. "As you might know already, Megaton itself is on high ground and it's surrounded by a tall metal fence. There is only one entrance to the settlement on the east side. It's sure to be under heavy guard." He pulled up an overview map of the Capital Wasteland on his Pip-Boy. "I believe the best course of action would be to approach far from the east and arc to the north. There is a hill that overlooks Megaton. It is also where the one entrance to the vault is located. Colvin and Dusk can set up sniping positions from there. It would be an ideal place to set up artillery but we have no way of knowing how many civilians are left within the city walls..."

Sarah nodded at his plan. "We do as Dante said and leave the vault alone until the area is secure enough to evacuate those people safely. Civilian casualties must be kept to a minimum. Pride, move out."

* * *

Hey you there - yes you. Reading. Leave a comment down there.


	10. Battle Ground

BATTLE GROUND

CHAPTER 10

Sarah and Dante marched ahead of the Pride, not because of her rank as their leader, but mostly because Dante had been half-running the entire time while the rest were less fueled by adrenaline and were starting to feel to weight of their armor after about an hour of travel. Despite his persistence, she could see that Dante was limping slightly and decided to bring it up, as it seemed he was bent on ignoring it. They were due to stop for another water break soon anyway.

"How's your leg?" She asked, already knowing how he would answer.

"Fine." His eyes were focused on the long, dreary dirt trail before them.

"Don't lie to me, Knight." She growled. He turned to object, wearing an obviously frustrated expression on his face but she shouted orders to her subordinates over her shoulder before he could argue. "Water break and rest. Five minutes. Use them wisely."

A collective "Yes, Ma'am!" sounded from the Pride members as most used their time to sit and catch their breaths, drinking from bottles of Aqua Pura they had brought with them.

"And don't be stupid. Rest that injury while you can." Sarah pulled out her own water from her supply bag and went in search of a good place to sit.

"I'd rather rest after we've liberated Megaton, Sentinel." Dante followed and sat next to her on a nearby boulder.

"We'll get there, soldier. Five minutes isn't going to make or break this mission. But it might re-break your leg."

He offered no further protest, but it was clear that while his body was resting, his mind was in turmoil, his unfocused eyes peering into the distance.

Dante listed off their names in his head. Himself, Sarah, Dusk, Kodiak, Glade, Gallows and Colvin. Seven. He checked his Pip Boy map. They would have to split up soon, as their snipers Dusk and Colvin needed higher ground to set up their equipment. That would leave them with five on the ground. Five. Only five. It was all he could do to pray they weren't headed into battle with an entire army.

His thoughts were interrupted by Sarah's next orders. "That's time! Up and out!"

He stood with difficulty as his stiff leg was forced to bear his weight once more, and he  
pushed ahead of Sarah, eager to avoid the 'I told you so' smirk he knew was waiting for him.

Another quarter of an hour passed before they reached the east base of the mountain where Vault 101 lay buried beneath. Without a word and only a nod of her head, Sarah had given her snipers the order to begin climbing. Their only option would be to attack from the east side, where the only entrance to Megaton was located. It was risky, but with two snipers on their side, it evened out the odds. Everyone in the Pride remained silent, careful to remain hidden behind what little cover the rocky landscape offered, sticking to lower elevation until Colvin and Dusk had been given enough time to make their climb.

Sarah alone ventured from the rest of the pack to survey their soon-to-be battle ground, taking cover behind an outcrop of boulders and peering through the scope attached to her plasma rifle. There was no Enclave presence on the hill itself where Colvin and Dusk had headed, but there were remnants of Enclave barricades visible around the main gate of Megaton, yet there were no guards posted out front, nor on the catwalks above. For Sarah, this was less ensuring than it was disconcerting.

"Shit." She whispered under her breath in frustration, before returning to her squad and relaying the news, which seemed to put everyone on edge. "It's about that time, Brothers. Remember to be on the lookout. I don't like the way this looks. We'll be in an exposed position far too long for my tastes, but we have little choice." She and Dante held eye contact, only a cold stare of determination on both of their faces. "Re-check your ammo and let's move."

With that, Sarah led the charge toward Megaton's closed gate, Dante and the other three following close behind, every pair of eyes was focused on the catwalk above, yet there were still no wandering guard patrols or any other sign of resistance. Once they reached the metal gate, their technicians Dante and Glade immediately began looking for an emergency access electrical panel.

"Hurry." Was their leader's only hushed instruction.

"Dante, here." Glade pulled off a loose rusted metal plate, revealing a computer screen and number pad. "Password protected... Of course..."

"How long will it take to open?" Sarah had her rifle trained on the balcony above.

"Uh- A few minutes. I'll have to backdoor the system-" Glade answered.

"Fuck this." Dante produced his combat knife from its sheath and pried the pad from its place.

"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing!" Glade growled, grabbing the lone wanderer by the collar of his armor and threw him to the dusty ground in one shift motion.

"We don't have time to play guessing games. Shut up and keep watch. I can do this."

A look passed over Glade's face that told Dante that in that moment, he really wanted to shoot him, but it quickly faded. "Be quick about it, boy." The younger tech was already busy cutting wires.

It wasn't long before the roar of the plane turbine above them started up, and begun to lift up the barrier before them at a sluggish pace. "Got it."

"So you have." Glade seemed genuinely surprised. He wasn't the only one. Kodiak gave a small nod to Sarah who was too busy listening over the din of the revived engine to notice anything else.

"What's that noise?" She asked.

"Uh. The gate?" Dante scoffed.

"No. Listen." He obliged, even suppressing his breathing for this purpose. The sound grew louder and louder until recognition hit them both at the sound of a throaty growl. Suddenly it burst from around the south end of the wall, heading directly for them.

"Deathclaw!" Glade cried out, opening fire with the rest of them, including their snipers. One of Dusk's or Colvin's bullets would normally be enough to take down an enemy, deathclaws and behemoths being the only two exceptions. It was just their luck to run into one of those exceptions on this mission.

Sarah was frantically searching for a way out of the situation, any kind of more secure position. Noticing that the gate had inched its way up far enough for them to crawl through, she knew her new orders. "Everyone under the gate! Go!" With the beast swiftly gaining ground, her soldiers didn't hesitate to obey. First Glade and Dante, then Kodiak. Gallows was the last to crawl under, but by that time the deathclaw was upon them, striking its bladed fingers into the back of Gallow's still-exposed leg. He let out a pained scream before the three who had already made it through quickly pulled him the rest of the way to relative safety. The deathclaw could only roar in frustration as its wounded prey was snatched from it, before it noticed there was still another human left out in the open, but Sarah was already running, trying to give herself as much of a head start as was possible. She set course straight toward the mountain, placing her life in the hands of her snipers.

"Over here you son of a bitch!" The Sentinel ran as fast as she could sideways, aiming her weapon to the best of her ability.

"Sarah!" She could hear Dante yell to her over all the gunfire.

Their foe was absurdly fast, but it seems her Brothers on the mountain were already getting better opportunities at this angle. Every time another shot rang out from behind her, another new bloody hole opened up in the monster's head. Five. Six. How is that thing still alive? When it began to stumble, she stood her ground, leveled her rifle squarely at its eye and pulled the trigger. Finally, it fell to the Earth, lifeless before her.

"Sarah!" Dante was running at full speed toward her. Over his shoulder, she could she the other three were still at the front of the settlement, now that the gate was fully lifted. She signaled for them to stay there. Dante stopped short of the deathclaw's remains, winded. "A-Are you hurt?" He looked over at her with deeply concerned eyes.

"No. I'm fine." She was staring at the body. No, her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. There was definitely something metallic around its neck. "Is it wearing a collar?"

"Damn. I've seen this before." Dante was careful to approach the corpse, putting one last bullet in its brain before kneeling down beside it. "Control collar. Keeps them in line with a radio frequency. They're the Enclave's attack dogs. My signal scrambler must be broken. Or they changed the frequency."

"That's insanely dangerous."

"Agreed, but they do it."

"C'mon, we have to sweep the town." She was already reloading her weapon. She helped pull Dante to his feet, noticing an even worse limp than before, and then headed back toward the rest of the Pride. "Is Gallows okay?"

"He's bleeding. That damn thing cut through the back leg plate. I think he'll live though." He sighed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm not the idiot who ran across an entire field on an injured leg for no reason."

"I was just... Deathclaws are the toughest enemy out there... I've almost gotten killed by them. More than once."

"Calm down. It didn't even touch me. Now shut up." They neared their comrades where Glade was busy attending to Gallows. "Status?" She asked.

"Flesh wound. I'll be fine, Ma'am." He made his point by immediately getting to his feet and standing at attention.

"Search every building, every room. Dante, you're with me. You three, stick together."

"Yes Ma'am!" They headed to lower elevation to begin their search.

"I'm checking my place first. Follow me." They headed left from the main path and rounded the corner to find the door to his apartment kicked in. It was dark inside, with no signs of movement within.

"Careful." She told him as he switched Pip Boy light on and crossed the threshold with her right behind him.

"Good ev-kkkkk-g, sir." Sarah swung around to the aim at the direction of the voice and fired just once.

"Stop! Wadsworth is that you?"

"How c-c-can -ssssss- you, sir?"

Dante knelt down beside the mangled remains of what used to be his robot housekeeper and at times, source of comic relief. "What happened here?"

"-reak in, sir.

"When did this happen?"

"This s-system has been experien-kkkk critical errors for: 18 Days; 7 Hours; 3 Minutes; 42 Seconds."

"Eighteen days." He ran his fingers through his hair out of habit. "Goodbye, Wadsworth." After a moment of hesitation, he pulled a fission battery from the robot's casing, the soft yellow glow of its eyes dying out. He turned to the lockers in the corner, packing his weapon bag with select guns and ammunition. "Feel free to take what you want. I'm not coming back here." He said, tossing her a box of microfusion cells.

"Thanks." There was no doubt in her mind that he really never meant to return after this. Dante thoughtfully patted the worn wooden stock of next gun he took from the locker, which was nothing more than a pathetic-looking BB gun. "Plan to do much killing with that, soldier?" She teased.

He placed it in the bag amongst the others. "It was a birthday present from my father when I was ten."

"Oh." She clenched her jaw. _Way to go, Sarah._ "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Let's go meet up with the others."

The pair headed down the steep side of the settlement, toward the crater's center where the rest of the Pride's ground team were already waiting for them, all the while something was nagging at the back of Dante's mind. He couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right, goosebumps and all, his eyes darting back and forth between the buildings.

Glade stepped forward. "Sentinel... we found several casualties in some of the buildings. They've been dead for at least a week."

"No survivors?" She asked with a hint of regret in her voice.

"No... but not many casualties either. A lot of them must have made it to the Vault in time." Said Glade. Hearing that made Dante feel both sick to his stomach and overjoyed at the same time.

When they eventually reached the rest of the group, he finally understood what was bothering him, pushing Kodiak out of the way to get a better look at the irradiated rainwater pond, void of its usual 200-year-old nuclear bomb.

"You know why it's called Megaton, don't you?" Dante asked

The blood drained from Sarah's face as realization hit her. "Where's the nuke?"

"The Enclave..." Dante trailed off. "Oh God."

"Glade, get the radio ready." Sarah ordered.

"Aye, Sentinel." He saluted and marched off.

"Looks like it's war, then." The leader of the Lyons Pride remained pale.

* * *

Thanks for your _constructive _comments.


	11. Broken

BROKEN

CHAPTER 11

_This is Paladin Glade with the Brotherhood of Steel, broadcasting on a short range frequency. We've cleared Megaton of all hostile presence. We will be standing by for the opening of the Vault door. Repeat. This is Paladin Gla-_

Dante switched his Pip Boy radio off, looking over to his lover and commanding officer, who at present was repinning her messed hair back into its usual bun. The Sentinel and Knight were the only two waiting in the access tunnel leading to Vault 101, while the others kept Megaton under lock down.

Sarah glanced over to the door, which had so far stood still and silent. "You're sure there's not a door bell somewhere we can ring?"

"Huh. Good idea. You start searching, I'll guard the tunnel." The two shared a smile. Waiting for Amata to respond gave them a rare opportunity to ignore that they were on duty, or even talk when the sun was still up.

"So, just how many refugees could this Vault hold?" She inquired.

"Well, when they were first sealed, there was enough room for one thousand. So, space isn't the issue. It's having enough trained people to run and maintain the water system and reactor, and just having enough food with the increase in number of people. The lack of food would be their biggest problem. I hope Amata was able to handle it alright."

"Old girlfriend of yours?"

"What?" He ran his fingers through his hair once again, as he always did when he was nervous. She smirked at him. "No. She was my best friend growing up. That's all. And the Overseer's daughter, so... there was always that." He asserted, somewhat unconvincingly.

"What happened to the old Overseer?"

Dante looked like he was about to ignore her question, looking over to the old slotted wooden door that hid the vault entrance. Bright orange light was shining through the gaps now that the sun was beginning to set as the day was coming to an end. He was silent for a long moment before finally admitting. "I killed him."

Suddenly, the large cog door of Vault 101 pushed back, sending the sound of scraping steel on steel echoing through the rocky cave. There was a crowd of people waiting just inside the next room. There were faces Dante recognized: Moria Brown, Billy Creel and Maggie, Andy and Jenny Stahl, Lucy West, Doc Church, Nova and the late Lucas Simms' young son, Harden, as well as a dozen or so other neighbors of his that he had not known so well. A tired and worn-looking Amata glared at Dante and Sarah from her place at the door control panel.

Sarah took the opportunity to step forward. "I'm Sentinel Lyons with the Brotherhood of Steel. My squad has your town secure. It's safe to go back when you're ready."

Jenny pushed through the crowd. "My brother, Leo. I couldn't find him when we had to run. Please, did you find him?"

"We didn't find anyone in the settlement but we did find casualties. I don't know about your brother. It's still possible he got out in-"

"He was killed, Jenny. I'm sorry." Said the Lone Wanderer.

At those words, Jenny folded her arms across her chest, tears quietly streaming down her cheeks. She was the first to step over the threshold of the vault door and past them, stopping to place her hand on Dante's on her way out. "Thank you." She whispered. At her lead, other Megaton refugees braved the tunnel as well, her brother included, who didn't seem to share the same grateful attitude of his sister, shooting Dante a dirty look when he walked past.

"Dante, I need to speak with you in my office." Amata turned on her heel around and headed down the stairs, to the heart of Vault 101, expecting him to follow. The Sentinel needed to give him a push on the back before he voluntarily headed down with her at his side.

The graffiti left over from the Vault youth's revolution had been washed off the best it could be, but some of it was still distinct enough to read: _Fuck you Overseer._ "So this is what a Vault looks like. Strange place." Sarah wanted him to say anything at all.

But Dante didn't offer a response. Instead, he was preoccupied with the anger, disgust and depression he felt after their failed mission. Once again he had to tell someone that a loved one had died, and that he had been unable to stop it. And Jenny wasn't the only one who would be faced with that reality today.

"What the hell is going on?" An irate Amata asked from behind her semi-circular desk. "What did you do this time?"

"I did nothing." He growled. "We only know what you know. That the Enclave are back-"

His words were cut short. "You continue to be a danger to us. We should have never let you and your dad in..."

Dante was quiet, clearly shocked to have heard such a thing from Amata, who had been one of the only constants in his life growing up. Sarah could see the hurt in his eyes and the fire in hers.

Sarah took it upon herself to break the awkward silence. "They took the nuke from Megaton."

Amata turned to Sentinel Lyons. "Really? Why? What are they planning?" Fear was written all over her face.

"I wish I knew." Dante found his voice again. "I'll be leaving, right after I get my father's possessions."

"They're still in your old living quarters. And Dante, I want to be perfectly clear. You're not welcome here. Ever."

"You're so much like your father." Were his last words before he stomped out of the new overseer's office.

Sarah added nothing of her own, following Dante out into the poorly-lit hallway, yet she couldn't help making eye contact with the young girl and saw just how much pain his parting comment had caused her.

In the old apartment he had shared with his late father, Dante was busy stuffing his weapon bag with things he had left behind before, including old books, photographs and some other little trinkets as Sarah waited, leaning against the doorframe. The place looked the same as it always had, with the same cold, steel walls and blaringly bright florescents that made his head hurt.

"I'm done here. C'mon. Let's go."

"Dante. Stop acting impulsively for one minute." Sarah grabbed her boyfriend by the shoulder and spun him around to face her. "And consider the possibility that she just said something stupid because of all the stress she's been under. She can't be that bad, or she wouldn't have let those people in here in the first place. When do you think was the last time she ate?"

"I'm doing as she asks. And leaving it at that." He shrugged her off and left.

"Think about it. I know you're stubborn, but not stupid." She shouted at his back. "We may need them as allies in the future."

"Get another diplomat. I want nothing to do with this place."

* * *

"How are they?" Sarah asked, returning from her father's room where she had been informing him of what had happened in Megaton and was now wearing her fatigues instead of power armor. After she had went to tell the Elder about the results of the mission and the missing nuclear bomb, he insisted on talking to Dante as well and sent her off to retrieve him before they continued. Dante too had undressed from his armor, wearing only boxers and an undershirt. At present, Rothchild was busy checking Dante over, who was back on the same medical bed he had spent his most recent coma on. Sarah didn't like the sight of it. He had barely managed to stumble into the infirmary as soon as they made it back to the Citadel as they split ways.

Gallows was there as well, sitting on the other side of the room, rubbing his calf that was freshly bandaged with clean white gauze. For being attacked by a deathclaw, Gallows wasn't that worse for wear. For Dante, however, Sarah knew his injury was nothing to laugh at when Rothchild readied a stimpack needle, providing some relief to his stiff, crippled limb. "Broken. Again. You keep this up, boy, and we might have to put a metal pin in that bone. It can get a lot more serious than just a break. You could lose your leg. I'm sorry, Sentinel, but I'm taking your Knight off active duty for a while, until this heals."

"And how long will that take?"

"No way of knowing for sure. But a month, at least."

She shook her head. "No. Sorry Rothchild, but I need my explosives expert. And actually, I need him right now. The Elder needs to see him immediately."

If that really was the case, the Head Scribe knew he wasn't going to win this argument. "Fine. Sentinel, if you could go get his brace from his room. I'll release him. For now."

"Uh, and some pants, please." Dante chimed in.

"I can do that." She said flatly. "Gallows, how are you holding up?"

The Knight Captain jumped down from his seat to answer her question. He was always eager to please his commander, and Dante thought he knew why but kept his mouth shut about it. "It's just a flesh wound. I'm able and ready, Sentinel."

"Glad to hear it. Your orders are to rest for the rest of the day, though."

"My leg won't be a problem, Ma'am."

"_Orders_, Gallows." She wasn't in the mood for his constant soldiering.

"Sentinel." He saluted and walked out in the direction of the Den.

After retrieving the needed items for Dante, she led him down to her father's residence. She had to help him keep balance the whole way, with his arm around her shoulders and her own around his waist. Luckily, they were similar in height and strength or the trek down the hallway could have been even more challenging.

"Sentinel. Knight." Owyn Lyons greeted them in the doorway of the Solar.

"Hail, Elder Lyons." Dante answered for both of them. The Elder let them in, shutting the door behind them for privacy.

"Please, have a seat." He extended his arm to direct them to the green, frayed chairs set up around a wooden coffee table in the center. Sarah helped Dante ease into the nearest one before she and her father sat down as well.

"Knight Dante, I need to know everything you know about the nuclear bomb the Enclave has captured. You lived in Megaton. Was it still functional?"

"Sir, I can't tell you that for certain. For years - _hundreds_ of years - it was dormant, but supposedly still operational. Nothing just never set it off. Months ago, maybe a week after I left the Vault, there was a man, 'Burke', lurking around Megaton who works for Allistair Tenpenny. He offered me a 'job' to rearm it and set it off in the middle of Megaton. I refused and disarmed it instead. As far as I know, that guy is still alive, if that's relevant." Sarah's mouth was agape by the end of his story.

"We'll check into it. Can the bomb be reactivated after what you did to it?" Elder Lyons asked in an unusually anxious tone.

"I don't know." Dante held Owyn's gaze. "But we have to assume it can."

"Very true."

"Sir, if I may, do we have any idea where these Enclave soldiers are coming from? Did they rebuild Raven Rock or Adams?"

"They may well have. We'll have to look into it by running reconnaissance missions. But the last real stronghold they had after Raven Rock and Adams Air Force Base was all the way back in Chicago."

"I'll be talking with Rothchild and some of the other Scribes before we take our next step." Lyons began to stand, as did Sarah, while Dante was forced to remain sitting because of his injury. "You two, go get some sleep. You'll be getting new orders in the morning."

Sarah nodded. "Yes, sir."

By the time they made it to his bed, he collapsed on the mattress with a pained grunt.

"Good night." He called after her, but adopted a confused look when she shut the door and turned back around, kicking her boots off and letting her hair down. "You're... staying here tonight?"

"Yep."

"What if someone comes looking for you. Your father... to give you those orders?"

"He knows where I'll be if he does need me. You're hurt and I'm not leaving." She crawled into bed, making herself comfortable in the crook of his arm.

"I'll live. You're not afraid that people will find out?"

"Not at all."

* * *

Hey, guys and girls. Thanks for reading. I know I'm slow with updates, but I'm trying to get better. Promise.


	12. Orders

ORDERS

CHAPTER 12

The next morning, Dante awoke to a cold, vacant side of the bed. He checked his Pip-Boy clock, and wound the thing for the day. _7:04 AM_ Sarah had probably been gone for a good two hours already. Unfortunately for him, he was more or less confined to his bed as instructed by Rothchild. And even more unfortunately for the lone wanderer, the light switch was located by the door, on the other side of his room. With a heavy sigh, Dante did the best he could to avoid putting his weight on his bad leg, leaning against the wall for support the whole way there and back.

He had little to do in the meantime until Rothchild stopped by to recheck his brace and hopefully drop off some sort of work for him to do. After spending the first 19 years of his life underground, being forced to stay inside was not one of his favorite things to do. Just the thought made him restless, but the threat of the pain it might cause by him by acting on it kept him in bed. Already bored, he grabbed an issue of Dean's Electronics from the shelf of his bedstand and began flipping through it.

One particular article about circuits in motor vehicles caught his attention, and he didn't even notice that Sarah had appeared in the doorway until she called over to him.

"Hey, I came by to see how you were doing." She said softly, pushing the door open wide enough to fit through in her armor and pulling it shut behind her. "I thought you'd still be asleep, really."

"Power armor this early?" He threw the magazine over the side of his bed, and sat up to face her. "What's going on?"

"Yeah. The Pride is going to Rivet City to warn them of what's happened and hopefully recruit some of their more apt citizens into our ranks."

"Sarah... be careful. They could react badly." The helpless puppy-dog-look he gave her, complete with early-morning disheveled hair and stubble, made her heart sink.

"I will." She promised before making the rest of her way over to the bed and kissing him. The hair on his upper lip made it insanely irritating to do so. Her own lips hovered just a fraction of an inch from his. "And shave your damned face," she purred.

"Ha. Yes, ma'am."

As soon as she was gone, Dante leaned over the edge of the bed to collect his magazine from the floor, but it was nowhere to be found. "Where the hell-?"

* * *

Recalling what he could from memory, Dante was laying on hastily put together scaffolding in the Citadel's Lab, hard at work checking and rechecking Liberty Prime's electrical wiring within the robot's 'body' casing. He genuinely tried to fall back asleep after Sarah and the Pride had left on their mission, but every time he closed his eyes, all he saw were images of himself, alone, being attacked by a super mutant behemoth, or rewatching his father's death, or seeing that deathclaw running after Sarah, knocking her down, raising its arm to strike... No, he knew he had to keep himself busy.

He was right in the middle of stripping some frayed wiring when Rothchild's face popped into view above him on the catwalk, looking rather unamused. "The Sentinel would kill me if she knew you were out of bed."

Dante just looked at him for a moment, dumbfounded. "Okay, how long have you known?"

"Known what?" The old scribe's brows furrowed in confusion.

Dante held his breath. _Shit_. "Uh, that I was up here." _Stupid._

"About as long as it took me to get the these from storage." He presented a pair of wooden crutches so rickety-looking, Dante was sure they'd collapse as soon as he put any weight on them. "Well, if I can't keep you from being so damn headstrong, at least use these to walk."

"Those could definitely be useful. Thanks." The Knight tried to seem as grateful as possible before diving right back into his work.

"What are you working on, son?" Rothchild asked, eyeing the equipment Dante had brought with him.

"Electrical circuits. Checking over all the wiring."

"That will take a while. At least a few days."

"That's the plan. I want Prime up and running before I am."

The Head Scribe shot the Knight a stern look. "I'm serious, Kennedy. One month of rest for that leg." Rothchild wagged his finger at him for good measure, like a parent scolding a child. "I know things are looking bad right now, but you have to trust the Pride to do its job while you heal. Having you being stranded in the wasteland with a broken leg while you're off on one of your solo missions is not a very productive allocation of our time and resources right now."

"Fine. You win. Now hand me that screwdriver."

* * *

Since the arrival of Owyn Lyons, the Wasteland benefited from his kind-heartedness and generosity that were the result of his personal set of morals. But making an ally inherently means also making an enemy. The Enclave was that enemy.

Sarah Lyons found herself at the head of a large, round table where certain Rivet City security officials and a select few other representatives of the Brotherhood of Steel had gathered. The Sentinel cleared her throat "Now that we're all here, I'll begin as to why we called you all to this meeting. The Brotherhood only just found out yesterday that there was a raid on the settlement of Megaton by the Enclave exactly nineteen days ago. Most of the town was able to flee to Vault 101 before the Enclave blocked off the only exit. They killed whoever was left inside. From all accounts, it looks like they only did this so that the spread of the news of the attack would be slowed, and that they would have no trouble securing what they went there for. They took the nuclear bomb."

Expressions of terror replaced bored ones for the few Rivet City security personnel listening. "Well what the hell are we supposed to do now?" Officer Lepelletier of Rivet City slammed her fist down on the table, her eyes locked with Sarah's.

"The first step is to not lose our heads." Sarah abruptly stood, looming over Lepelletier, who had seemed to miraculously lose her voice. "It's worth mentioning that before it was taken, one of our Knights had disabled it's trigger system. Though, by now they're certainly trying to fix it. My Brothers and I are going to run recon missions to try to figure this all out."

"So what do we do?" Lepelletier ventured to ask in a low, somber tone. Blood rushed to her usually-pale cheeks and ears, either from anger or panic or embarrassment. Or maybe all three.

"My advice to you is to tighten your security around here. Hire new recruits. Limit the number of visitors allowed. But most importantly, don't act like this is a coverup. Everyone on this boat will know about what happened soon enough. Refugees and traders from Megaton will be making trips down to replace what they've lost at the shops now that the weather is breaking."

"Okay," Harkness responded in a voice that was completely unlike Lepelletier's - devoid of any emotion. _Androids._ For Sarah, it was kind of unnerving.

"There's one more thing. I propose leaving one of my men here undercover. He will always be dressed as a civilian, and will have no contact with anyone but me. You are to leave him to his job by giving him as much freedom as he needs. If you see him, turn and walk the other way."

"Fine." Harkness agreed, but with a hint of hesitation or unwillingness this time. _Better._

"Now, to elaborate on what happened-" Sarah spent the next few hours explaining every detail of their mission to Megaton that she could recall and answering whatever questions they had that she could.

* * *

The lone wanderer found himself just finishing up his inspection of the group of wires that supply power to Liberty Prime's deadlier version of a tesla cannon when he his ears pricked up at a booming voice from below, "Knight Kennedy, I'd like to speak to you, please."

He shuffled to the side of the scaffolding and looked down over it, finding Elder Lyons staring back at him. "Yes sir, I'll be right down." He made his way to the ground as fast as he could with his injury, suppressing pained grunts when his leg was forced to bear his weight. "What is it, sir?"

"Follow me to the Solar. We need to talk in private." He offered no further comment as Dante grabbed his crutches from their resting place against the wall as well as a clean grease towel, dabbing his forehead dry before following Owyn as fast as he could.

Suddenly, he became very worried of how pathetic he must look, sweat-stained, hobbling along with his broken leg, and still too awkwardly skinny to fit his frame after his ordeal at Point Lookout. And really, his injury and decline in health in general was his own, stupid fault. What an impression to leave on Sarah's father indeed.

Owyn held open the door to let him inside, and immediately closed and locked it. The Elder and Knight settled into two identical green armchairs opposite one another. For a few moments they just held each other's gaze, Owyn's blue eyes studying Dante's brown ones, sizing him up, evaluating him. Dante wanted so badly to wipe the sweat from his palms on his pant legs and ask why the hell he was there, but he was even more determined to keep his mouth shut until the Elder addressed him. It proved to be a difficult thing to do as his curiosity intensified with each passing second.

"I understand you have a good reputation in the Capital Wasteland." Owyn began.

Dante let out a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding. "Uh, yeah, I guess. In some places... Sir." he answered.

"Good, good." Owyn paused and sighed before finishing his thought. "Kennedy, I'm removing you from the Lyons Pride for now. You're to work as an agent for me. Solely for me. Sentinel Lyons is no longer your commanding officer. Understood?"

Dante's face betrayed his shock to the news._ Is this his way of splitting us up?_ "Why?" Dante regretted the word as soon as it left his mouth. He messed up. It was questioning an order from a superior.

"I need you to recruit those factions that respect you to our side. I want you to do this alone, without force or even the illusion of it by having others with you. It could be dangerous, tensions are high, no point in masking that fact. Is all of this understood, Kennedy?"

"Yes sir... The Sentinel doesn't know yet, does she, sir?"

"No. She doesn't." Owyn sighed. "I assure you this decision has nothing to do with the relationship between you two, if that is what you fear."_ Relationship_.

"I won't lie to you sir, I did." The lone wanderer admitted.

"I'm happy that Sarah is happy." Owyn wore a kind expression as he said it. Dante found that the Elder had a weird way of mixing work and personal business.

"That's good to hear, sir." Dante's own expression softened a little.

They continued talking of the Elder's mission for him, paying little attention to the clock. Dante felt himself more comfortable around the Elder as their conversation went on. He was unaware of how much time had passed by the time they were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Hail, Elder. It's Sentinel Lyons. Permission to enter?"

The Elder walked over to the door and unlocked it, allowing it to freely swing open. "Permission granted."

Sarah and Dante's eyes locked and he mouthed _"Later"_ to her before taking hold of his crutches and standing.

Owyn Lyons turned to face his daughter. "Sentinel, have the Pride alert the rest of the Brothers to meet on the Lab floor at nineteen-hundred hours. I want everyone to be informed of the situation. Then come back and you can brief me on what happened in Rivet City. Kennedy, you go rest. That's an order."

"Yes sir." He passed his confused-looking girlfriend on the way out, heading to the showers.

With the way unclassified information, and sometimes even classified information, circulated around the Brotherhood, Dante was sure every last initiate had already heard the news about the Megaton bomb. He started to craft a plan of action for the task the Elder had given him, letting the warm water run over his sore muscles until it turned cold.

* * *

By the time Sarah made it to Dante's room, he was already asleep. He was lying on his back with his head tilted to one side and snoring obnoxiously loudly, wearing dark sweatpants and a gray undershirt. His dirty clothes were scattered all over the floor of their room. _His_ room, she reminded herself.

"Dante?" She threw her boot at him. "Dante!"

"What! What?" He said groggily, propping himself up on his elbows and and wiping drool from his mouth.

"What the hell was going on earlier? What did my father want?" Sarah inquired, eyebrows raised while undressing for bed.

"He didn't tell you?"

"We were busy tending to other business. It never came up."

"He uh... removed me from the Lyons Pride." He rubbed the back of his neck and pulled himself all the way into a sitting position.

She stopped mid button on her overshirt. "Excuse me?"

"He said he wanted me to act as an agent for him to recruit factions to our side. Alone. Only temporarily." He drew in another breath. "It's not about us. I thought it was at first too, but he made a point of telling me 'he's happy that you're happy.' I'm not going to lie, that was nerve wracking as hell."

She folded her arms against her chest and just stared at him before sitting on the edge of the bed right beside him. "What the hell?"

"I know. It was a surprise to me too." He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

"The Pride is leaving for recon tomorrow morning. We'll be gone for at least a week." She entangled her fingers with his. "I thought I'd have you with us. Glade will just have to manage tech on his own." She sighed, obviously frustrated.

"Hm." His mouth moved to her neck and she shifted to face him directly, kissing him deeply.

Sarah pulled back. "I guess we'll have to make the most of tonight. Take off your shirt." She smirked.

"You're not my CO anymore, you know." Dante whined in a mocking tone that prompted a playful punch in the arm from Sarah followed by another kiss.

Later, into the early hours of the morning, Dante lay awake watching the rise and fall of his lover's chest beside him. Sleep became too difficult; he wanted as much time with Sarah as he could have. There was a nervousness in him about tomorrow that he couldn't shake. Things with the Enclave escalated so fast. Now they had a great-war era megaton nuke at their disposal. The Brotherhood had nothing of that caliber to counter an attack with. The Enclave held all the cards.

Yet, he held steadfast in that all those months ago, he had made the right choice joining the Brotherhood and their cause. All the proof he needed lay tangled in the bedsheets beside him.

They were the Capital Wasteland's last, best hope for humanity.

* * *

Read & Review, friend.


	13. Lone

LONE

CHAPTER 13

The next afternoon, Dante found the Pride just outside the armory in the Lab, arranged in a line with several fraying duffel bags in front of each of them. One for the transportation of their weapons and one for food rations and other equipment. Everyone was busy packing their munitions at present as Sarah looked on.

Gallows was the only one of them not dressed in power armor, instead he traded his in for normal street clothes. Sarah had mentioned he was to stay in Rivet City while the Pride began their search at Adams Air Force base, to the north. It would be lying to say that Dante wasn't relieved that Gallows would be nowhere near Sarah while he was away from the unit; he had always made Dante uneasy because of his unpopular techniques and the fact that the Knight Captain was seemingly unable to take a break from his work, gruesome as it was at times. The wanderer also had his own suspicions that the Pride's "special ops" runner was interested in the Sentinel in more than just a platonic way. Yet, Sarah never seemed to take any of his behavior as a sign, so he mostly dismissed the idea as paranoid on his part or just simple jealousy.

With Dante and Gallows out, that only left Sentinel Sarah Lyons with four subordinates in her charge.

Sarah nodded in the lone wanderer's direction when she noticed him approaching in his unmarked armor, which was riddled with grey scratches on the otherwise army-green paint and dark burn marks on the right side. It was 'new,' but only in the sense that he, himself, had not worn it before this morning. "Kennedy."

He halted at his name, standing at attention. "Sentinel. Permission to ask about certain details of your mission?" His posture was rigid, with a straight back and an air about him of restrained power.

"Granted," Sarah bent down and started zipping up her own bags.

"May I ask where the unit is heading to, ma'am?"

She glanced up at him. "Might come and check up on us, huh?"

"If circumstances allow, ma'am."

"We'll be looking up around Raven and the satellite field. We're going to stay long distance, using scopes and imaging equipment, and avoiding direct combat. We'll be out of radio contact for a few days. Can't risk the Enclave intercepting our messages."

The wanderer rubbed the slight stubble on his chin, processing what she had explained to him. "Solid plan. Stealth definitely is our best option at this point. Good luck. Steel be with you, Sentinel." Sarah saw his heavily-armored feet walking passed her, heading toward the dining hall.

"Kennedy, hold on," she jumped up abruptly and advanced to where he stood waiting.

"Ma'am?" He watched her actions with dark, questioning eyes.

Then she did something nobody expected, including Dante, when she grabbed the collar of his armor and leaned into him, but only halfway. Smiling, he obliged, closing the remaining distance between them and gently pressed his lips to hers.

They held eye contact for a while, silently communicating while the Pride stared on.

_Well, way to give them a show._

_Fuck them. I love you._

Sarah finally pulled back, "Don't do anything stupid." She hauled her bags over her shoulder and marched to the door, leaving him behind in a room full of quiet, confused Brothers.

Without looking at anyone, he turned back to the path of his original destination. "You too."

* * *

The lone wanderer made his way east, through feral-ghoul infested metro tunnels, remembering the way there by heart. He only had to rely on his Pip-Boy for light to aim by, which projected eerie green light on everything around him and made shadows jump in the corners of rooms. Of the many ghouls that broke from the darkness to attack him, he always managed to down them in one or two shots from his newly-acquired plasma pistol. The only exception was a particularly cunning reaver that was either smart or just lucky enough to stay behind cover as it advanced on him. Four shots later, Dante was cursing under his breath as he reached the rusting gate leading up to the surface.

At last, he found what he was looking for: a wall painted with a large four leaf clover with two sabers crossed over it. He made his way through the archway and paused to gather his thoughts in front of the Ranger Compound before pressing the buzzer to the intercom system.

There was a minute delay before a deep male voice came over the speakers. "Who is it?"

"The lone wanderer. I'm here on business."

"Come on in, then. Before a super mutant gets ya."

The door's padlocks clicked and the sound of metal scraping against metal filled his ears. Dante found Butcher, Reilly's boyfriend and second in command, standing before him in the entryway. As usual, he was clad in the unit's signature green ranger armor with the same four-leaf clover and crossed saber emblem as well as "Reilly's Rangers" spelled out in white paint on the chest plate. He wasted no time gesturing their guest inside. Dante hurried over the threshold and watched Butcher quickly relock the door behind them.

"Seriously, super mutants are really getting to be a problem around here," Butcher offered his scarred hand out to Dante, who accepted it and gave it a firm shake. "Good to see you're still drawing breath."

"Hey there. Where's Reilly?" Dante asked, not willing to take up too much time chit-chatting.

If he weren't in such a difficult position and rushed time schedule in the hopes of meeting up with the Pride, he would gladly sit around with Butcher and the rest of the Rangers, and shoot the breeze all day. One of the Rangers' favorite pastimes, drinking themselves into a daze and playing poker, quickly became one of his own. He greatly respected the unit for their code of honor and the dignity of their work, but mostly for their resolve and cohesiveness. It also helped that the Rangers and wanderer both shared a hatred for Talon Company Mercenaries as well. The Rangers couldn't stand Talon's values, or lack thereof, and Dante still held a grudge over them trying to assassinate him on more than one occasion.

"She's busy at the moment. But I'll pay you the standard rate of caps for whatever geodata you've got for us," Butcher made his way into the first room of the compound, periodically glancing over his shoulder at the lone wanderer who was following close behind. He pulled out a bag from a beat-up metal desk in the middle of the room that judging by the sound it made, was full of bottle caps.

"What I have are mostly locations southeast of here in Maryland. But that's not the only reason as to why I'm here. Butcher, don't get me wrong, it's great to see you, but I must really speak to Reilly."

"She can't see you right now. I told you, she's busy," the blond, sarge-cut ranger sounded very tired. There were baggy, dark circles under his eyes. The break of his usually calm demeanor and inability to make eye contact gave him away.

"You're lying," the lone wanderer pointed out, matter-of-factly, keeping his tone low and even. "Tell me what's going on. Please."

Butcher scoffed, seeming uneasy as he crossed his arms and refocused his gaze to the wall. Dante waited.

"I'm not sure exactly," he started out tentatively. "She had a cold a few weeks ago, but she got better quickly. And then just a few days later, she either caught it again or something else, something worse. It's going on two weeks since she's gotten this bad. She can't get out of bed now."

"Can I see her?"

The Ranger's combat medic was quiet for a moment before taking in a breath, "Fine." There was genuine worry in Butcher's brown eyes, who still refused to look at Dante directly.

Pushing off from the wall, Butcher lead him further into the compound. Dante could hear voices and laughter from the large community-use room they passed, but they paid no mind to them as they continued down the hallway, and through the last metal latch door at the end.

The room was dark, but the light from a glowing computer screen on the desk allowed him to see well enough. Dante's eyes fell on a weak-looking, sleeping Reilly, who was wrapped up in several layers of frayed and stained blankets on the mattress that had been pushed against the far wall of the room. The Rangers' leader seemed to be breathing unusually heavily for being at rest, and strands of her deep red hair were sticking to her sweat-drenched forehead.

"We need to stop meeting like this, you know," The lone wanderer joked, waking her. "You look like hell."

Her head popped up from the pillow. "I'll be damned. The wanderer. I thought you died, it's been so long," her voice was strained, like she had to put all her effort into just making herself loud enough to be audible.

"Not yet," he made his way over and knelt down by her bedside. "I came here on business. I was hoping to discuss something with you - privately," he nodded his head to where Butcher was still in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"This is as private as it's going to get. He stays," she seemed adamant, holding his gaze.

It wasn't worth pushing the issue. "As long as you trust him."

"I'd trust him with my life," Reilly replied, steadfast in her words. Dante could hear Butcher shift uncomfortably from over his shoulder.

"Good. It's a long story..." He took a deep breath and explained in detail the last few days' worth of news. Dante kept his focus on Reilly. Her expression went from interest, to confusion, to horror as he got to the part about the missing nuke. He didn't dare look over to Butcher, who had so far remained in his spot, silent. "So, I'm really here to barter for your help with the Brotherhood against the Enclave," he felt his stomach sink as he finished. It was a huge request.

Reilly offered no immediate response. She looked to be thinking it over, carefully considering her options and the benefits and consequences that came along with each one.

"No. We have to evacuate and take our chances," Butcher was the first to speak up, running to the foot of the mattress and practically yelling his opinion in the wanderer's face, while his own was flushed red and twisted in a mix of rage and panic.

"Carl, I am not about to make a decision right now in the heat of the mome-" It was as close to yelling as Reilly could manage and the exertion caused her to go into a coughing fit before she could even finish the word. She bolted upright, her entire body shaking with every spasm. Her coughing sounded terrible and wet, like she had been drowning a moment ago.

'Carl' - Butcher - came up from behind and grabbed the lone wanderer's shoulder armor, making sure to put on enough pressure to let Dante know he was not afraid to become aggressive. "I think you should go now."

The wanderer could feel the barrel of a handgun press against the flexible carbon fiber between plates on his back, the weakest part of the model of power armor he and the Brotherhood wore. Butcher was no idiot. Neither was Dante.

"My apologies. I'll come back at another time. I hope you feel better, Reilly."

Angrily, Butcher led him out into the main hallway, heading back toward the front door. The gun was ever so painfully pressed into his spine the whole way. He knew his window of opportunity was closing with every step they took toward the entrance. Dante only had this chance to speak up. He couldn't run the risk of losing Reilly's Rangers as allies.

"Butcher, I have a proposal for you. You know that Reilly needs medicine and proper care - badly."

"I've already been to Rivet City," Butcher said gruffly, removing his gun from the wanderer's back once they reached the door.

"And?" Dante prodded further.

"A lot of people got sick during winter there. Their antibiotic supply is so low that they hiked up the price. It's insanely expensive for even just a standard week's course."

"I can get them. She obviously has a respiratory infection. And fluid in her lungs. This is serious, Butcher. You know it is."

Butcher looked crushed. "And let me guess: in return you want our help?"

"Yes. I'll even give you the geomapping data free of charge, if that helps."

Butcher seemed perplexed at the offer, running his eyes up and down Dante before asking, "Why?"

"There are reasons I want you as allies and not enemies," Dante held eye contact and adopted a more relaxed posture. "I would have readily joined the Rangers. I prefer to work alone, or in small groups with people I know I can trust. I admire the Rangers' ability to do just that. You're smart, strong, and honorable," Dante answered his question.

He was telling the truth, the complete truth. His life could have easily went the way of joining the Rangers. He could have been sitting in the common room with Donovan and Brick at this very moment, having to pull them off each other every time one of them instigated a fight. But it just so happened that his fate didn't play out that way.

"Then why didn't you, after you were done with the purifier?" Butcher asked, seemingly genuinely interested in the answer.

He took a moment to piece together an answer, "I stayed with the Brotherhood of Steel because I found a Reilly of my own. Her name is Sarah." Relinquishing such personal details was a calculated move, but he was hoping it would make Butcher trust him just a little more.

"Sarah? Sentinel Sarah Lyons?" Butcher's face softened, obviously trying not to laugh. "You're kidding me."

"Yes. That would be the one," Dante could feel his ears turning red.

"You're insane, kid."

"I get that a lot. And my name isn't 'kid.' It's Dante."

Butcher seemed surprised. "Well then, Dante. What would you have me do?"

* * *

He left alone, but did not return in the same condition. The Brotherhood's solo Knight marched into the courtyard of the Citadel, preceding Brick and Donovan. Butcher was the furthest behind, burdened with the task of carrying Reilly, who was too ill to make the trek under her own power.

They all brought with them their few worldly possessions in the bags on their backs. The Brotherhood's hold would be their home for a while. A nervous Brick was gripping Eugene's handles like she was holding on for dear life, but she was wearing her best intimidating expression to make up for it. Donovan just looked bored. Or maybe he was angry? Relieved? It was hard to tell with him.

Dante directed Butcher in the way of the infirmary before leading the other two to a long-vacant barracks room. The layer of dust on the row of mattresses and footlockers told a story of just how long it had remained unused.

"This will be your home. I apologize for its condition."

"Thanks kid," Brick said gruffly before finding a bunk to her liking and gently setting Eugene down on it. Donovan said nothing, but dumped his bags on the next bed.

"I'll leave you to it, then," the wanderer left, heading in the direction of the Solar, knowing the Elder would want to be briefed on their new ally. The Rangers didn't take much convincing, but he knew his work ahead would be no where as easy.


End file.
